Feds charge 28 alleged noncitizen voters across California including Los Angeles

Federal authorities have charged 28 individuals across California, including Los Angeles, with illegally registering to vote or casting ballots in federal elections despite not being U.S. citizens, the Los Angeles Times reported. Eleven of those charged were arrested as of Monday, with the remaining 17 expected to be taken into custody soon.

The Justice Department described the arrests as evidence of corruption in California's voter rolls and criticized state officials for resisting efforts to purge ineligible voters, according to the Los Angeles Times. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the department would not ignore noncitizen voting.

Among the 28 charged, 21 are suspected of actually voting, some multiple times, and some face additional charges for lying on naturalization paperwork, the Los Angeles Times noted. The federal operation was called "Operation Protect the Vote."

State and county officials have not yet responded to the federal prosecutions. California officials maintain that the state has strong laws to prevent ineligible voting and say there is no evidence of widespread fraud, the Los Angeles Times reported.

KSAT also covered the story, highlighting that the arrests were part of a statewide sweep targeting alleged noncitizen voters. The operation involved Homeland Security Investigations task force officers in locations including Commerce, California, near Los Angeles.