Feds arrest alleged noncitizen voters in California amid broader election fight with state

Federal authorities have charged 28 foreign nationals in California who authorities said have illegally registered and voted in U.S. elections.

Federal authorities charged more than two dozen foreign nationals Monday in California as part of a statewide sweep targeting people who officials say have illegally registered and voted in U. S. elections. The arrests are part of a Trump administration effort to root out noncitizen voting ahead of next month's midterm elections, even though data shows that the problem is incredibly rare, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.

The Justice Department said the 28 people who were charged as part of a sweep dubbed Operation Protect the Vote are lawful permanent residents — but not U. S. citizens who are permitted to legally vote. They are charged with crimes including making false statements on a naturalization application and submitting fraudulent voter registrations. “This causes real damage to real elections and real damage to American citizens,” Trent McCotter, the acting deputy attorney general at the Justice Department, said during a news conference in Los Angeles to announce the charges. California emerges as a flashpoint for voting dispute The federal government has made noncitizen voting a priority this year, demanding detailed voter information — including dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers — from the states. While some states voluntarily handed over the information, the department sued 30 states and the District of Columbia to obtain it — lawsuits that so far have been unsuccessful.

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know! The William Penn School District on Monday afternoon reinstated a number of fall sports  following last week’s abrupt decision to suspend all middle and high school athletics in response to an unspecified incident involving an unnamed Penn Wood sports team.

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A contentious hearing is underway in Washington, D. C., where lawyers for the Trump administration are facing off with a federal judge pushing for answers over whether she was deliberately misled by the government over why it removed hundreds of trees from a local public golf course. D. C. District Judge Ana Reyes has ordered testimony from Interior Department official Gregory Wischer and acting Director of the National Park Service Jessica Bowron over why the government moved abruptly on Columbus Day weekend to remove more than 500 trees from East Potomac golf course without giving her proper advance notice. Last week, Reyes erupted at attorneys for the government after the trees were removed despite her demanding the administration alert her in advance if it planned any significant alterations to the course given ongoing litigation. The golf course has been the subject of litigation brought by the D. C. Preservation League in response to President Donald Trump's efforts to turn it into a course that could host professional tournaments. A golfer walks near log sections cut from trees at the East Potomac Golf Links, in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. AP Photo/J.