Feds arrests dozens of arrest foreign nationals illegally registered to vote who have cast ballots in California: report

Federal agents conducted an operation across California on Monday morning, targeting suspects in voter fraud cases in the state. Per the New York Post, federal agents tracked down suspects from a list of over 20,000 suspected noncitizens who are allegedly illegally registered to vote in the midterm elections in the state.

The operation, dubbed “Operation Protect the Vote,” saw law enforcement seek over two dozen foreign nationals charged with fraudulently registering to vote in a US election. The majority of those suspects have allegedly cast illegal ballots. It is currently unclear the total number of people who were arrested.

Among those taken into custody were Alexander Muñoz, with Homeland Security Investigations agents entering his Commerce, California home at around 6 am. Muñoz, a 72-year-old Belizean national, who is accused of fraudulently registering to vote in September 2019, claiming to be a US citizen. He allegedly voted in 2020, twice in 2022, and again in 2024. Investigators say he also falsely claimed on his application to become a naturalized US citizen that he had never claimed to be a US citizen. He faces felony charges that include making false statements on a naturalization application. 

US Attorney Bill Essayli told the outlet, “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.” 

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said of the operation, “American elections are for Americans, and every non-citizen registered to vote and voting in our elections takes away the legitimacy of our republic. We will continue to root out voter fraud all across America and ensure our elections are free and fair.”

This comes after the Department of Justice sued the state on Thursday, saying that federal investigators had identified more than 20,000 registered voters they believe are likely noncitizens, and alleging that election officials refused to cooperate in verifying their citizenship before counting their mail-in ballots.

The suit seeks a court order requiring California to set aside ballots returned by the flagged individuals until their citizenship can be verified. In California, voters are automatically mailed ballots, meaning those identified by investigators have likely received or will receive ballots. This comes just over two weeks before the midterm elections.