US Authorities Arrest Over 2 Dozen in California Voter Fraud Sweep

Source reports published 20 Oct 2026, 2:53 am – 5:53 am AEST

Federal authorities arrested several people in California as part of Operation Protect the Vote. The sweep targeted individuals charged with fraudulently registering to vote and involved a Justice Department lawsuit against the state.

What happened

• Federal agents arrested over 23 individuals in California on Monday.
• The arrests were part of a statewide operation, dubbed Operation Protect the Vote, targeting individuals suspected of fraudulently registering to vote.
• The Justice Department charged the suspects with crimes including making false statements on naturalization applications and submitting fraudulent voter registrations.
• The suspects were primarily lawful permanent residents, but not U.S. citizens.
• The Justice Department, led by Trent McCotter, the acting deputy attorney general, warned that state election officials who knowingly process ballots cast by noncitizen voters are at risk of investigation.
• The Justice Department also sued California to prevent it from counting mail ballots from people identified as ‘likely’ noncitizens until their immigration status can be confirmed.
• The administration requested a 48-hour deadline to review a thumb drive containing a list of 20,000 names, which the state did not meet.
• The suspects allegedly cast ballots and were arrested on Monday morning.

Original reporting

• PBS NewsHour: Justice Department charges more than 2 dozen foreign nationals in California sweep targeting noncitizen voters
  2026-10-19T16:53:36+00:00
• Washington Examiner: DOJ charges 28 noncitizens in California for fraudulent voter registration
  2026-10-19T18:34:58+00:00
• South China Morning Post: US arrests over 2 dozen in California sweep targeting alleged non-citizen voters
  2026-10-19T19:53:06+00:00