Honduran Immigrant Targeted in Politically Motivated Voter Registration Case in Los Angeles
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A Honduran immigrant faces felony charges in California for allegedly registering to vote, highlighting the ongoing criminalization of immigrants and the use of isolated incidents to push restrictive voting laws.
Los Angeles federal prosecutors announced Friday that Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, a Honduran national and lawful permanent resident, was charged with two felony counts of fraudulent voter registration and false claim of U.S. citizenship. The charges, which could result in deportation, reflect the harsh consequences immigrants face for minor infractions. Rivera Flores, who entered the U.S. during the George W. Bush administration, is accused of registering to vote without being a citizen, but crucially, did not actually cast a ballot, according to the Department of Justice.
"Today’s arrest is the first of many to come. Unfortunately, because states like California allow non-citizens to easily register to vote and receive a ballot by mail, there’s no telling how many non-citizens are currently registered to vote," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, echoing right-wing rhetoric that stokes fear and suspicion of immigrants.
Essayli repeated the Justice Department’s demand for California to comply with a voter roll audit, a move championed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, both of whom have supported restrictive voting measures. This case follows Rivera Flores’ previous misdemeanor conviction for protesting immigration enforcement at a federal building in Camarillo, for which he received probation—a clear example of criminalizing dissent.
The White House, under pressure from conservative narratives, cited the arrest as supposed evidence of non-citizen voting, with spokesperson Lauren Bis stating that “the evidence of non-citizens registering to vote in our elections continues to pile up,” despite a lack of widespread proof.
California voters will soon face a ballot measure in November, pushed by Republican legislators Tony Strickland and Carl DeMaio, that would impose strict voter-ID and citizenship-verification requirements—policies that disproportionately disenfranchise marginalized communities under the guise of election security.