By admin 
COMMERCE, Calif. (KABC) — Federal officials announced charges against 28 people accused of illegally registering to vote and, in some cases, casting ballots in California elections, as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s statewide “Operation Protect the Vote” initiative.
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Authorities said the individuals are among a larger group of people the federal government identifies as “likely noncitizens.” Arrests began early Monday across California, with federal officials saying at least 11 people were in custody as of a morning news conference and that the remaining suspects would be taken into custody in the near future.
AIR7 was over Commerce as federal agents carried out one of the arrests Monday morning. Officials identified the suspect as Omar Munoz, who they allege has a lengthy criminal history and voted four times between 2020 and 2024.
“We are announcing charges against 28 non-citizens who illegally registered to vote, and many of which actually voted in prior elections,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. “We began arresting these individuals this morning, early this morning. My understanding is at least 11 are in custody so far. The rest will be in custody in the near future.”
Federal officials said the operation involves all four U.S. attorney districts in California. According to the Justice Department, the investigation focuses on individuals accused of registering to vote despite not being U.S. citizens. Officials said some of those charged are also accused of voting in prior elections.
The operation comes amid an ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and California over election administration and allegations involving noncitizen voters ahead of next month’s midterm election.
Last week, the Justice Department warned California election officials that processing and tabulating ballots submitted by suspected noncitizen voters could expose them to criminal investigation and possible prosecution.
The federal government is also pursuing a lawsuit seeking to prevent California from counting ballots cast by people it has identified as “likely” noncitizens until their immigration status can be verified.
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In a letter, 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 letter was addressed to the Los Angeles County Counsel’s Office and copied to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan. Logan previously said his office is focused on conducting a fair and secure election and that legal disputes over the matter should be resolved in court.
During Monday’s news conference, federal officials rejected criticism that the timing of the operation could undermine confidence in the election process.
“All this ensures is that the votes of citizens count as they should. It’s the exact opposite. This is exactly how we ensure integrity in elections,” McCotter said.
Federal officials said the names of the 28 defendants were identified from a list of approximately 20,000 people believed to be noncitizens that was provided last week to California’s secretary of state and the Los Angeles County registrar. According to officials, the Department of Homeland Security cross-referenced publicly available California voter registration information with other government databases to identify individuals they believe may not be U.S. citizens.
The Justice Department has charged about 90 people this year with various types of election-related misconduct, including 50 people accused of voting as noncitizens. The department has also noted that research and investigations in multiple states have found voting by noncitizens to be extremely rare.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a breaking news story. More details will be added as more information becomes available.
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