California Green Card Holders Accused by Feds of Alleged Voter Fraud React With 'Shock and Anger'

Federal election-related charges against 28 California residents prompted shock and confusion among several defendants who appeared at a Los Angeles courthouse on Monday, 19 October 2026. Some said they did not remember registering to vote. The cases have intensified a dispute between the Trump administration and California officials over election security ahead of the US midterm elections.

Federal authorities alleged that 21 of the 28 defendants had cast ballots. The charges include alleged fraudulent voter registration and false statements on naturalisation applications. The allegations have not been proven in court, and the defendants remain entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Rick Hasen, director of UCLA School of Law's Safeguarding Democracy Project, said some cases involving non-citizen voter registration can arise from administrative errors or confusion. He noted that the government must prove a wilful violation of federal law to secure a criminal conviction.

California Voter Fraud Charges Leave Families Searching for Answers

Ana Domínguez, a 60-year-old lawful permanent resident from El Salvador who lives in Long Beach, said she had no memory of registering to vote. Federal authorities accused her of fraudulently registering to vote in July 2006 and making a false statement on her naturalisation paperwork in March 2026.

Domínguez told reporters she had never voted. She said she had been waiting for her US citizenship ceremony after applying for naturalisation earlier in 2026. Still, she was arrested as she was preparing to leave for work as an administrative assistant.

'I never, ever in my entire life ... thought this would ever happen to me,' she said.

Domínguez said she had told an immigration agent that the only people registered to vote in her household were her husband, who had become a US citizen, and her US-born daughter. Her account did not establish how authorities identified the alleged violations.

Another defendant facing similar allegations also said he did not recall registering to vote.

Federal authorities called the operation 'Operation Protect the Vote' and presented the charges as evidence that stronger action is needed against alleged non-citizen voting. Hasen, an election law expert, said some cases involving non-citizens on voter rolls can arise from administrative errors or confusion rather than intentional criminal conduct.

Omar Muñoz Arrest Raises Questions Over Federal Tactics

Omar Muñoz, a 72-year-old lawful permanent resident originally from Belize, was among those charged. Federal authorities accused him of fraudulently registering to vote in September 2019 and casting ballots in 2020, twice in 2022 and again in 2024. He was also accused of making a false statement on his naturalisation application.

Muñoz's arrest at his home in Commerce attracted attention after photographers captured the operation. His daughter, Lliani Orantes, said the family was still trying to understand what had happened.

Orantes, a US-born nurse, questioned whether authorities might have confused her father with younger relatives who share his name, including a US-born son registered to vote. The possibility was raised by the family, but the report did not establish that mistaken identity had occurred.

Muñoz said he had come to the United States legally in 1975 and had paid his taxes. He recalled seeing helicopters, at least eight cars and several agents outside his home during the early-morning arrest.

'What movie am I in?' Muñoz recalled thinking.

He questioned the resources used in the arrest, saying authorities could have instructed him to report to court. His daughter said he was recovering from cervical surgery, rotator cuff surgery and a double knee replacement, and questioned the way the arrest had been handled.

His son, Omar Muñoz Jr., also questioned the decision to handcuff his father before dawn.

'There is a law, we understand that. But innocent until proven guilty,' he said.

California Officials Reject Claims of Widespread Fraud

Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney in Los Angeles, rejected the suggestion that people could register to vote without taking deliberate steps.

'You have to go out of your way to register to vote; it's not something that just happens to you,' Essayli said.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said isolated cases of illegal voting should be prosecuted but rejected claims that the 28 cases demonstrated widespread fraud. He described the cases as a 'drop in the bucket' compared with California's 23 million registered voters and said he would watch how they proceeded through the courts.

The dispute also extends to a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to prevent California from counting ballots from about 20,000 voters the administration suspects are not US citizens. California officials have opposed the move. The allegation that a voter may be a non-citizen does not, by itself, establish that the person cast an illegal ballot.

The four defendants who appeared at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse on Monday were released on personal recognisance and scheduled to appear for preliminary hearings on 9 November.