Foreign Nationals Arrested in California for Illegal Voting and Registration

Federal law enforcement arrested 11 foreign nationals living in California today on charges that they fraudulently registered to vote and, in many cases, cast illegal ballots in U.S. elections, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced. The arrests form part of “Operation Protect the Vote,” a coordinated effort by all four California-based U.S. Attorney’s Offices targeting election fraud. 

The 11 individuals arrested Monday are among 28 lawful permanent residents (green card holders) charged statewide. Although LPRs have legal immigration status, they are not U.S. citizens and are barred from voting in federal elections. Charges include making false statements in naturalization applications and fraudulent voter registration—both felonies carrying up to five years in prison. 

Defendants are alleged to have knowingly lied under oath on voter registration forms claiming U.S. citizenship; many then voted in recent elections before falsely stating on naturalization paperwork that they had never claimed citizenship, registered, or voted. 

Central District defendants include Omar Alexander Muñoz, 72, a Belizean national from Commerce, who allegedly registered in 2019, voted in 2020, twice in 2022, and in 2024, and lied on his naturalization application; Amandeep Kaur, 30, an Indian national from Rancho Palos Verdes, who registered in 2022 and voted in November 2024; and others from Long Beach, Pico Rivera, La Puente, West Covina, Wilmington, Carson, Anaheim, and elsewhere, originating from countries including El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cambodia, Honduras, Pakistan, and Canada. 

Similar charges were filed in the Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts against additional defendants accused of illegal voting or related naturalization fraud. Criminal complaints contain allegations only; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The arrests come days after the Justice Department sued California for refusing to review or sequester ballots associated with a list of more than 20,000 “likely noncitizen” registrants the federal government provided to state and local election officials on October 13. California declined to set aside the vote-by-mail ballots pending citizenship verification, prompting the suit seeking to prevent dilution of citizen votes ahead of the November 3 midterms. 

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter stated that every defendant charged Monday “appears on the list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants we provided to California election officials last week. California refused to look at that list.” 

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, whose office is involved in the Central District cases, said in the press release: “Today’s arrests prove what we have been saying. California is mailing ballots to noncitizens, and they are refusing to comply with federal law, which makes it a crime for noncitizens to vote. The voting rights of American citizens must be protected.” 

On X, Essayli reinforced the point, noting that all 28 charged individuals were on the list provided to California, remain registered voters, and that ballots are already going out. “No, this isn’t the total number of noncitizen voters in California,” he wrote. “Police can’t catch every speeder, but that doesn’t mean speeding isn’t widespread. 28 is what we could charge in a week. California must verify those 20,000 registrations before counting ballots. One illegal vote is too many.” He added that “California has noncitizens on its voter rolls, and yes, they are voting.” 

28 people charged today. All 28 are on the list of 20,000+ likely noncitizen registrants we gave California last week. All 28 are still registered voters, and ballots are going out now.

No, this isn't the total number of noncitizen voters in California. Police can't catch every… https://t.co/YoSUfgVock

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 19, 2026

These developments build on longstanding California Globe reporting about federal efforts to address noncitizen registrations and dirty voter rolls. In December 2025, the Globe detailed Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon’s announcement that a review of cooperating states had identified more than 260,000 dead people and thousands of noncitizens on voter rolls nationwide, with the DOJ working to purge invalid registrations ahead of the 2026 midterms. 

California has repeatedly refused to turn over its statewide voter registration lists despite DOJ lawsuits under the National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, and Civil Rights Act—actions the Globe characterized as the accountability many Americans have sought. 

Dhillon noted at the time that California had been sued twice and was among states resisting production of records that other jurisdictions provide voluntarily to groups like ERIC. 

Just last week, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against the state after California officials refused a 48-hour deadline to review the 20,000-name list and sequester associated ballots, framing the state’s response as prioritizing politics over election integrity. 

Federal officials have emphasized that the list reflects data matching involving USCIS and Homeland Security Investigations, and that the current criminal charges illustrate the risks of refusing to examine the data. 

California officials, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta, have disputed the claims, calling federal efforts unsubstantiated or politically motivated and asserting that state laws already restrict voting to citizens.

Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and USCIS are investigating the cases across California’s districts. The Globe will continue monitoring the criminal prosecutions, the pending lawsuit over the 20,000-name list, and broader DOJ election integrity actions in the state.