The Justice Department arrested 28 foreigners in California on Monday as part of a statewide crackdown on voter fraud ahead of the November midterm elections, The Daily Wire has learned.
Federal authorities arrested more than two dozen green card holders Monday morning, accusing them of illegally registering to vote or casting ballots in U.S. elections.
Dubbed “Operation Protect the Vote,” the sweep is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to investigate alleged illegal voting ahead of next month’s midterms.
“We began arresting these individuals early this morning. My understanding is at least 11 are in custody so far. The rest will be in custody in the near future,” United States Attorney Bill Essayli said at a press conference. “In the last seven weeks alone, the Department of Justice has charged 113 aliens across 20 states with illegal voting and registration offenses.”
In one case, Homeland Security agents arrived at Alexander Muñoz’s home around 6 a.m., The New York Post reported. Agents reportedly pounded on the front door before taking the 72-year-old Belizean national into custody.
Muñoz allegedly falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen and registered to vote in September 2019. He reportedly voted in 2020, twice in 2022, and again in 2024. He is also accused of lying on his naturalization application and faces felony charges, including making false statements in an application for U.S. citizenship. He has a long criminal history, including narcotics possession and grand theft convictions, prosecutors said.
In another case, Indian national Amandeep Kaur, 30, living in Rancho Palos Verdes and seeking to become a U.S. citizen, fraudulently registered to vote in December 2022 and voted in the November 2024 U.S. election, the DOJ said.
The latest arrests come as California Democrats have repeatedly pushed back against claims of widespread voter fraud in the Golden State, where election officials mail ballots to all registered voters and do not require a photo ID to cast a ballot. A voter ID measure, however, is now on the November ballot, though its prospects remain uncertain in the deep-blue state.
California is just the latest target. In September, two illegal immigrants living in Pennsylvania were arrested and hit with federal charges over allegations that they illegally voted in U.S. elections, The Daily Wire previously reported.
“This is not a conspiracy theory. This isn’t made-up stuff. These are facts,” Essayli told reporters.
Haitian national Cliff Sanon, 39, allegedly voted in the November 2022 election. The Department of Justice released a photo reportedly showing Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents taking him into custody.
Authorities accused Sanon of submitting at least eight voter registration applications in Philadelphia County in February 2026. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
Federal authorities also picked up Mexican national Dilea Ochoa-Perez, 43, who allegedly voted in Chester County in both the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections, according to the Justice Department. Ochoa-Perez was charged with two counts of voting as an alien.
If convicted, Ochoa-Perez faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison, one year of supervised release, a $200,000 fine, and a $50 special assessment.
The Justice Department is also suing California after state officials declined to set aside mail-in ballots flagged by federal officials as potentially belonging to noncitizens until their citizenship status could be verified.
“Elections belong to American citizens,” Essayli said. “Even if one non-citizen votes in an election, that is a violation of the constitutional rights of every voter in California who has a legal right to have their vote be counted equally and not diluted by non-citizens.
.png)
.png)
