11 Permanent Residents Arrested in California for Alleged Voter Fraud; 28 Face Charges

• California voter fraud arrests: Eleven lawful permanent residents were arrested
• Twenty-eight green card holders face federal election-related charges.
• California officials reject claims of widespread voter fraud.

Eleven lawful permanent residents were arrested in California. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday, October 19, that federal authorities arrested 11 green card holders accused of illegally registering to vote in U.S. elections.

The arrests are part of a broader federal investigation involving 28 lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green card holders, according to the Justice Department.

The distinction is important: authorities announced 11 arrests on Monday, while a total of 28 individuals face federal charges related to alleged election violations.

According to EFE and La Opinión, the operation comes just two weeks before the November 3, 2026, midterm elections.

What Are the 28 Green Card Holders Accused Of?

The cases are part of an initiative called Operation Protect the Vote, a coordinated federal effort to investigate alleged election-related offenses, including fraudulent voter registration.

According to the DOJ, the defendants allegedly falsely claimed to be U.S. citizens when applying to register to vote in California.

The Justice Department alleges that the defendants knowingly provided false information under oath on their voter registration applications.

Federal prosecutors say the applications were approved and that several defendants went on to cast ballots in previous elections despite being ineligible to vote.

Although lawful permanent residents are legally authorized to live in the United States, they cannot vote in federal elections unless they first become U.S. citizens.

What Legal Penalties Could the Defendants Face?

The charges include alleged false statements on naturalization applications and, in some cases, fraudulent voter registration.

According to La Opinión, some of the offenses carry maximum penalties of up to five years in federal prison, depending on the specific charge.

All defendants are entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence. The charges remain allegations unless proven in court.

California Voter Fraud Arrests: DOJ Seeks Review of More Than 20,000 Voter Records

The investigation comes amid an ongoing dispute between the federal government and California over the accuracy and verification of voter registration records.

The DOJ provided California officials with a list of more than 20,000 people it identified as possible noncitizens and requested that the state verify their eligibility.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the 28 defendants were included on that list and questioned the state’s response to the federal government’s concerns.

“California refused to review that list,” McCotter said, calling for citizenship verification before mail-in ballots are counted.

The federal government also filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent certain ballots from being counted while questions about the voters’ eligibility are resolved.

California Officials Reject Claims of Widespread Voter Fraud

The arrests drew criticism from state and local officials, who questioned the federal government’s actions just weeks before the midterm elections.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn argued that the arrests were being used to create a misleading impression of the scale of election fraud.

“These arrests are being used to give an image of widespread voter fraud, when we know that’s not the case,” Hahn said, according to La Opinión.

California Assemblymember Mark González also defended the state’s election safeguards and challenged the federal government’s allegations.

State officials maintain that California has procedures in place to protect election integrity, while the DOJ continues to press for additional citizenship verification.

The dispute remains unresolved ahead of the November 3 elections. Although 28 individuals face federal charges, those cases alone do not establish that widespread voter fraud has occurred in California.