By The Republic Standard News Staff
The U.S. Department of Justice has charged 28 lawful permanent residents in California with alleged voter fraud, including accusations that they registered or voted despite lacking citizenship.
The defendants face allegations involving false statements on naturalization documents and fraudulent voter-registration applications. The alleged felonies carry potential prison terms of up to five years.
Justice Department officials said 21 of the 28 defendants cast ballots unlawfully. Eleven had been taken into custody as arrests continued.
Dispute Over Noncitizen Voter List
The cases followed a Justice Department lawsuit involving California’s ballot-tabulation procedures. Federal officials gave California election authorities 48 hours to verify citizenship and separate ballots cast by people whose eligibility could not be confirmed.
The department said more than 20,000 people believed to be noncitizens had received mail ballots. The Department of Homeland Security had initially said in July that more than 190,000 registered California voters could be noncitizens, later revising that figure to 20,000. California has 23.1 million registered voters.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber called the Justice Department’s demands “outrageous.” Janice Hahn said the arrests constituted “voter intimidation and a blatant attempt to undermine trust in our midterm elections.”
Trent McCotter acknowledged that the federal government’s list of suspected noncitizen voters could contain inaccuracies.
Individual Allegations
Investigators said Erick Ronaldo Soto Mendizábal, a legal permanent resident since 1976, told them he had registered with assistance from canvassers outside a supermarket. Soto said poll workers told him he could vote because election officials would review the ballot’s validity. He said he submitted a blank ballot.
Authorities alleged Soto had previously falsely claimed U.S. citizenship in 1992.
José Probitsado Amaro, a lawful permanent resident since 1993, told investigators he did not remember registering to vote. Amaro acknowledged receiving a ballot in 2024.
Category: Republic
Tags: Immigration, Department of Justice, California, Voter Fraud