Department of Justice arrests over two dozen noncitizens in Los Angeles voter fraud operation
Federal prosecutors announced Monday that more than twenty‑four foreign nationals were arrested in Los Angeles as part of a voter‑fraud operation dubbed “Operation Protect the Vote.” The arrests occurred in the days leading up to the November 2026 midterm elections and target individuals accused of illegally registering to vote and casting ballots without U.S. citizenship.
The Department of Justice said the operation was designed to protect election integrity by removing noncitizens from the voter rolls. Among those taken into custody was Alexander Muñoz, a 72‑year‑old Belizean national who, according to authorities, claimed U.S. citizenship when he registered in September 2019 and subsequently voted in the 2020, two 2022, and 2024 elections. Muñoz also faces felony charges for false statements on a naturalization application.
Los Angeles federal prosecutor Bill Essayli told reporters, “Today’s arrests confirm what we suspected and what we put California on notice for: Noncitizens are voting in California elections, which is unconstitutional and illegal.” The DOJ’s announcement follows a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration that accuses California of failing to review a list of more than 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters. The lawsuit gave state officials a 48‑hour deadline to segregate mail‑in ballots for those individuals until their citizenship could be verified.
State officials pushed back. Governor Gavin Newsom denounced the effort as a “sad, desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department to try to suppress California voters just three weeks before Election Day,” while Secretary of State Shirley Weber argued that California already has robust safeguards to ensure only citizens can register.
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the federal action, stating, “State‑facilitated voter fraud is unacceptable in the United States of America.” He added that failure to address the issue could “undermine confidence in our electoral system.” The DOJ has previously charged about 90 people this year for various election‑related offenses, including roughly 50 alleged noncitizen voting cases.
The arrests were carried out by Homeland Security Investigations agents who arrived at a residential cul‑de‑sac in Commerce, California, early Sunday morning. Prosecutors have not released the total number of arrests beyond the “more than two dozen” figure, and a press conference is scheduled later in the day to provide additional details.
As the midterm election approaches, federal and state officials remain at odds over how to balance voter‑access protections with the DOJ’s push to eliminate illegal voting. The next steps will likely involve court reviews of the California lawsuit and further clarification of the DOJ’s authority to intervene in state election processes.
