Justice Department charges 28 California green card holders with illegal voting two weeks before Election Day
The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times reported that federal prosecutors charged 28 people in California on Oct. 19 with illegal registration or voting. The Guardian and NPR said all are green card holders. ABC7 Los Angeles reported that at least 11 were in custody Monday under Operation Protect the Vote. KQED said cases were filed in all four federal districts, 13 of them in the Central District. CalMatters reported that some defendants are charged with lying on citizenship applications because their alleged votes are too old to prosecute. CalMatters and KQED reported that all 28 are on a Justice Department list of up to 20,000 registrants it wants excluded from the count. Rob Bonta's office called the group a tiny fraction of about 23 million voters.
Noncitizen voting is a federal crime, and it can also cost a green card holder legal status and lead to deportation. The cases also serve as evidence in the department's separate lawsuit seeking to block ballots from thousands of California registrants, so they matter beyond the 28 defendants.
If you are a naturalized citizen or a green card holder, check your registration status with your county elections office. Only citizens may register for federal elections; lawful permanent residents may not, even if a form or a DMV clerk suggested otherwise.
The administration and Trump, in his Truth Social post, present the arrests as proof that noncitizen voting is real and that California's rolls need federal scrutiny. On that view, prosecuting cases before the Nov. 3 vote deters others and protects legitimate ballots.
Bonta's office and election experts quoted by CalMatters say 28 cases among about 23 million voters show fraud is rare, not widespread. Votebeat found no sign of organized cheating, and critics say the timing, weeks before the midterms, is meant to cast doubt on California's count.
What is confirmed: 28 people charged, at least 11 in custody, all on the department's list of 20,000. What is not: how many actually voted, and whether any vote changed any result. Watch whether a judge acts on the lawsuit over the 20,000 ballots before counting begins.
DailyDrop U.S. No. 16 · October 20, 2026