DOJ 'Operation Protect the Vote': 28 Green Card Holders Charged in California with Illegal Registration and Voting; 11 Arrested
LOS ANGELES — Federal law enforcement officers across California on October 19 arrested 11 foreign nationals charged in criminal complaints with federal crimes, including fraudulently registering to vote in U.S. elections — contests in which most of them cast illegal, fraudulently obtained ballots — the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced. The arrests are part of 'Operation Protect the Vote,' a coordinated effort among all four California-based U.S. Attorney's Offices to combat and root out fraud in U.S. elections and protect electoral integrity.
A total of 28 foreign nationals have been charged, all of them lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or 'green card' holders. The Justice Department noted that although LPRs have legal immigration status in the United States, they are not U.S. citizens and are not permitted to vote in U.S. elections. The charges include making false statements in a naturalization application, and some defendants are also charged with fraudulent voter registration; both are felonies carrying a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison. Defendants in the Eastern District are charged with voting by an alien in a federal election, a misdemeanor carrying a maximum of one year. Those arrested were expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in U.S. District Court, with no pleas to be taken.
By district, 13 defendants are charged in the Central District, six in the Eastern District, five in the Northern District and four in the Southern District. According to court documents, the defendants knowingly lied under oath on voter registration applications that they were U.S. citizens; their applications were approved and, in many cases, they illegally voted in recent U.S. elections. They subsequently lied in their naturalization paperwork that they had never claimed U.S. citizenship, registered to vote, or voted. Among the Central District defendants, Omar Alexander Muñoz, 72, a Belizean national living in Commerce, allegedly registered fraudulently in September 2019 and voted in the 2020 election, twice in 2022, and in 2024; Butleng Taing, 43, a Cambodian national living in Long Beach, allegedly registered in July 2021, voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections, and lied on naturalization paperwork in August 2025; and Amandeep Kaur, 30, an Indian national living in Rancho Palos Verdes, allegedly registered in December 2022 and voted in the November 2024 election.
The takedown comes amid litigation between the federal government and California over the voter rolls. On October 13, the federal government provided California a list of these individuals to ensure their vote-by-mail ballots were set aside until their citizenship status could be confirmed; California declined to assist, prompting a lawsuit by the United States seeking a court order to prevent the unlawful dilution of American citizens' votes. 'Every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen,' said Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter. 'Each of the 28 defendants charged today 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 said: '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.' HSI Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon said the agency is committed to protecting the integrity of the nation's electoral process while ensuring every investigation is conducted fairly, thoroughly and consistent with due process.
The Justice Department emphasized that criminal complaints and informations merely contain allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. HSI is investigating the Central District matters; HSI and the FBI are investigating the Eastern and Northern District matters; and HSI, the FBI and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are investigating the Southern District matters. (GSM, from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, press release of October 19)
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Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：国土安全调查局（HSI）特工执行逮捕令行动（资料图）。美国移民与海关执法局 ICE 官方照片，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 Photo: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents execute an arrest warrant during a targeted enforcement operation in Brooklyn, New York, on Jan. 28, 2025 (file photo). Official U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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