The Department of Justice charged 28 lawful permanent residents, or green card holders, in California with federal crimes related to voter fraud on Monday. The defendants, all noncitizens ineligible to vote, face accusations of fraudulently registering to vote and, in many cases, casting ballots in past elections.

Eleven of the individuals were arrested as of Monday, with authorities planning to take the remaining 17 into custody soon. Prosecutors filed the charges across California's four federal districts as part of "Operation Protect the Vote," a coordinated effort to combat election fraud.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter stated that the 28 defendants appear on a list of more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens on the state's voter rolls that federal officials provided to California last week. Officials noted that 21 of the defendants cast unlawful ballots, with some voting in multiple elections dating back to 2020.

The charges include making false statements on voter registration forms and, for some, lying on naturalization applications about prior voting activity. These felonies carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli highlighted that many of those charged voted in prior elections, including as recently as the June primary.

The arrests follow a DOJ lawsuit filed days earlier against California and Los Angeles County. The suit seeks to prevent the counting of ballots from approximately 20,000 suspected noncitizens in the upcoming November midterms until citizenship can be verified. California officials have resisted federal demands to review the list or set aside the ballots.

Nationwide, the DOJ has charged 113 people with illegal voting and registration offenses in recent weeks. The California action underscores ongoing concerns over election integrity in a state that mails ballots to all registered voters without requiring photo identification.

Defendants reside in areas including Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Diego. Specific examples include individuals accused of registering and voting despite their immigration status prohibiting such activity. The operation aims to protect the votes of U.S. citizens from dilution by ineligible participants.