DOJ Charges 28, Arrests 11 in California Noncitizen Voter Sweep

The Justice Department charged 28 people and arrested 11 of them on Oct. 19-20, 2026, as part of "Operation Protect the Vote," a California probe into alleged noncitizen voter registration, the Daily Signal and other outlets reported. Prosecutors allege most of the 28 - all lawful permanent residents or green card holders - registered and voted despite not being citizens; one defendant is accused of falsely claiming citizenship in 2019 and voting four times since. Acting Deputy AG Trent McCotter said each defendant appears on a list of more than 20,000 "likely noncitizen registrants" DOJ gave California election officials days earlier.

The arrests followed DOJ's Oct. 15 lawsuit demanding California set aside ballots tied to that list and an Oct. 19 motion to immediately block those ballots from being counted. California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, called the list "unverified" and noted courts have found noncitizen voting rare; a similar federal claim about Nevada voters produced no confirmed cases.

The lawsuit and restraining-order motion remain pending; no ruling has issued.