Federal agents arrested more than two dozen foreign nationals across California on Monday morning in a coordinated operation targeting noncitizen voter fraud, days after the Trump administration’s Justice Department threatened California officials over more than 20,000 suspected noncitizen registrations on the state’s voter rolls.
Homeland Security Investigations agents carried out the arrests under an initiative called “Operation Protect the Vote,” according to a report from the California Post. One of those arrested was 72-year-old Alexander Muñoz, a Belizean national taken into custody around 6 a.m. at his home in Commerce, California.
Prosecutors allege Muñoz falsely claimed U.S. citizenship when he registered to vote in 2019 and then cast ballots in the 2020 election, twice in 2022, and again in 2024. He is also accused of lying on his naturalization application by denying he had previously claimed to be a U.S. citizen.
Los Angeles federal prosecutor Bill Essayli said the arrests validate concerns federal officials raised with the state.
“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,” Essayli said.
A Standoff With Sacramento
The arrests cap weeks of escalating conflict between Washington and California. The Justice Department filed an emergency lawsuit last week after state officials declined to segregate ballots tied to more than 20,000 people federal authorities had flagged as likely noncitizens. Federal officials had given California 48 hours to review the list and verify eligibility.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber disputed the federal government’s evidence. Gov. Gavin Newsom went further, accusing the administration of trying to suppress voters ahead of the midterms.
“This is a sad, desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department to try to suppress California voters just three weeks before Election Day,” Newsom said.
Federal officials did not back down. They warned California election administrators that knowingly facilitating illegal voting could expose them to criminal liability. President Trump issued his own warning on Truth Social, writing that officials
