Federal prosecutors in California on Monday, 19 October 2026, announced criminal charges against 28 lawful permanent residents accused of illegally registering to vote in American elections, with 11 of them arrested in a coordinated statewide sweep. The operation has sharpened an already bitter dispute between the Trump administration and California state officials over voter eligibility ahead of the November elections.

What the Charges Allege

The US Department of Justice said the defendants — all foreign nationals holding green cards — face charges including fraudulent voter registration and making false statements in applications for US citizenship. According to the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, the defendants allegedly declared themselves American citizens on voter registration forms despite not holding US citizenship.

Prosecutors further alleged that several defendants subsequently cast ballots in US elections and later denied having registered or voted when applying for naturalisation. Each offence carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. It must be noted that the allegations have not been proven in court.

Operation Protect the Vote

The arrests were carried out under an initiative called 'Operation Protect the Vote', coordinated across all four federal prosecutors' offices in California. The 11 people arrested on Monday were expected to make their initial appearances in federal court later in the day. Prosecutors confirmed that no pleas would be entered during those initial proceedings.

Lawful permanent residents are legally authorised to live and work in the United States but are generally prohibited from voting in federal elections. Voting unlawfully or making false declarations about citizenship can carry serious criminal and immigration consequences under US law.

The Federal–California Standoff

The arrests came alongside a separate confrontation between federal authorities and California over voter registration records. On 13 October, federal authorities provided California officials with a list of individuals and requested that their mail-in ballots be set aside pending citizenship verification.

California reportedly declined to act on the request, prompting the federal government to file a lawsuit seeking judicial intervention. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the 28 defendants were among more than 20,000 people whom federal authorities had identified as likely noncitizens on California's voter rolls.

'Each of the 28 defendants charged today appears on the list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants we provided to California election officials last week,' McCotter said, calling on California to verify citizenship status before mail-in ballots were counted.

California Officials Push Back

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli accused California officials of failing to comply with federal election requirements. 'California is mailing ballots to noncitizens, and they are refusing to comply with federal law, which makes it a crime for noncitizens to vote,' Essayli said.

Notably, the figure of more than 20,000 represents the federal government's own assessment of potentially ineligible registrants — it is not a judicial finding that those individuals registered or voted illegally. Critics argue that the broader sweep raises concerns about due process and the potential chilling effect on eligible immigrant communities.

What Happens Next

The case now moves through the federal courts, with the initial hearings for the 11 arrested defendants set to begin this week. The parallel federal lawsuit against California over mail-in ballot procedures is likely to escalate, with a potential court ruling that could affect ballot-counting processes ahead of the November elections. Legal experts say the outcome could set a significant precedent for federal oversight of state voter rolls.