Federal prosecutors target 28 California residents in high-stakes voting crackdown
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The Justice Department announced charges against 28 lawful permanent residents in California over alleged voting and registration in federal elections without citizenship, escalating a partisan fight with state officials ahead of the November midterms.
Federal prosecutors have indicted 28 individuals across California for allegedly registering to vote or casting ballots in federal elections while not being U.S. citizens. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the arrests are proof of corruption in California voter rolls and a pretext for a purge that could threaten legitimate votes.
According to the Justice Department, 21 of the defendants are suspected of actually voting, some in multiple elections, and several are also charged with false statements on naturalization paperwork. Eleven of the accused have been arrested, with the remaining 17 expected to be taken into custody soon.
McCotter described the operation, dubbed “Operation Protect the Vote,” as a response to what he called deliberate obstruction by California and Los Angeles County officials.
State and county officials have not commented, but they maintain that California’s election laws already provide strong safeguards against ineligible voting and that instances of non-citizen voting are rare. They argue that a sweeping voter-roll purge so close to the election could violate federal law and disenfranchise eligible voters.
The Justice Department has previously issued subpoenas for voter records in the state and recently demanded that California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan set aside ballots of about 20,000 voters deemed “likely noncitizens.” When state officials declined, the department filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to enforce the demand.
McCotter warned that county attorneys who process the flagged ballots could face prosecution as “aiders and abettors to a federal crime.” He said the timing of the operation was forced by California’s refusal to cooperate.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, the lead federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, rejected claims that the threat is exaggerated, stating, “This is not a conspiracy theory. This is not made-up stuff.” He criticized California’s citizenship verification process as inadequate, asserting that the state “has no idea who is a citizen” and that non-citizens are receiving ballots.
U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian, overseeing the Northern California effort, said the operation will continue through the election and beyond.