On 19 October 2026 the U.S. Department of Justice announced that 28 foreign nationals living in California had been charged with federal election-related crimes. Federal agents arrested 11 of them that day. The release says all four U.S. Attorney’s Offices in California took part in what it calls “Operation Protect the Vote.” According to the Justice Department, all 28 are lawful permanent residents (“green card” holders). They have legal status but are not citizens and may not vote in U.S. elections.

“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,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said.

The charges, by district

  • Central District (13 defendants): felony charges including false statements in a naturalization application. The release’s summaries describe registrations dating from 2002 to 2024. Several defendants are said to have voted in 2020, 2022 or 2024 and then denied, in naturalization paperwork, that they had ever claimed citizenship or voted.
  • Eastern District (6): voting by an alien in a federal election, a misdemeanour carrying up to one year. The most recent vote described is the June 2026 primary.
  • Northern District (5): attempted procurement of naturalization contrary to law, false statement under oath in a naturalization matter, and voting by an alien.
  • Southern District (4): false claim to citizenship to vote, unlawful attempted procurement of naturalization, and false statement under oath. Each is said to have voted in the November 2024 general election.

The release says false statements in a naturalization application and fraudulent voter registration are felonies with a maximum of five years in prison. Two defendants are described as Canadian nationals, one in Rancho Palos Verdes and one in San Diego. The release ends: “A complaint, indictment, and information merely contain accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

The civil fight over November ballots

The charges arrive alongside United States v. California, No. 2:26-cv-12025 (C.D. Cal.), which DOJ filed on 15 October (our report). On 19 October the United States filed an ex parte application for a temporary restraining order and an order to show cause why a preliminary injunction should not issue (Doc. 22-1). It asks the court to stop California from counting vote-by-mail ballots from people on the federal list until their citizenship is verified. The application says California may begin counting ballots “29 days before the election” (Cal. Elec. Code § 15101), so mail ballots are “likely being counted today.” It also says the defendants oppose the relief. We found no ruling as of this morning’s check.

Citizen impact: The criminal cases deal with past registrations and votes, mostly in 2020–2024 and a few as recent as 2025 and June 2026. They are DOJ’s first concrete examples from the 20,000-name list it wants California to check before counting November ballots. Who gains if the charges hold: citizens whose votes, DOJ argues, are diluted by ineligible ballots. Who is at risk: the 28 defendants, who face prison and naturalization consequences if convicted, and citizens wrongly flagged on a “likely noncitizen” list if a court orders their ballots set aside. Twenty-eight cases out of more than 20,000 names do not show how accurate the rest of the list is.

What this piece refuses

Do not write that “20,000 noncitizens voted” or that the charges prove the list is accurate. DOJ has charged 28 people. The list is the government’s estimate of likely noncitizens who were sent ballots. Do not write that any defendant has voted in the 3 November 2026 election. The release does not say so. Do not treat these as convictions. Do not repeat secondary counts of how many defendants cast ballots. The release says “in many cases” and “most of them.”

Bottom line

Verified from DOJ press release 26-1222 and the Doc. 22-1 TRO application, both dated 19 October 2026: 28 California green-card holders have been charged and 11 arrested. DOJ says all appear on its list of more than 20,000 names. It has asked a federal court in Los Angeles to freeze ballots from that list. Watch for a judge assignment, a TRO ruling and the defendants’ first appearances.