Justice Department arrests over two dozen noncitizen voters in California operation
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The DOJ arrested more than 24 lawful permanent residents in California on charges related to false naturalization statements and fraudulent voter registrations, part of a broader federal effort to curb noncitizen voting ahead of the midterms.
The Justice Department announced the arrest of more than two dozen lawful permanent residents in California, accusing them of making false statements on naturalization applications and submitting fraudulent voter registrations. The arrests are part of an initiative called Operation Protect the Vote, which the department says is aimed at preventing noncitizen voting before the upcoming midterm elections.
Federal officials have emphasized that noncitizen voting is a federal crime and warned that election workers who knowingly process such ballots could be prosecuted as aiders and abettors. In a letter to Los Angeles County Counsel, acting deputy attorney general Trent McCotter wrote, "The legal consequences for either facilitating or ignoring a federal crime are significant. Noncitizen voting in a federal election is a federal crime — and knowingly facilitating such conduct is equally unlawful."
The Department of Justice also filed a lawsuit against California to halt the counting of mail ballots from individuals it identified as "likely" noncitizens until their immigration status can be verified. The state, which mails ballots to all registered voters, received a password-protected list of about 20,000 names but said the federal government had not provided evidence to substantiate the claim.
Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan responded that his office remains focused on conducting a fair and secure election, noting that Election Day is 18 days away, and suggested that the dispute be resolved in court.
The arrests add to roughly 90 election-related charges the DOJ has filed this year, including about 50 cases alleging noncitizen voting, in a year when more than 227 million voters were registered nationwide.