Six California Green Card Holders Charged in Voting Probe
Six lawful permanent residents from Southern California face federal charges of making false statements on naturalization applications, the office’s senior assistant U.S. attorney, Bill Essayli, said on November 2. Prosecutors allege the defendants had registered and voted in elections despite being noncitizens, then falsely denied their voting histories when applying for citizenship. The complaints do not charge them specifically with fraudulent voting, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
The defendants include people from Mexico, the Philippines, Israel, Canada and Iran who live in Palmdale, West Hills, Agua Dulce and Canoga Park. Five had been arrested by the time of the announcement; authorities anticipated arresting the remaining person. Prosecutors said each faces up to five years in prison.
The cases bring to 34 the number of people charged in the federal initiative. Essayli said the six were among roughly 20,000 names federal authorities identified as possible noncitizens on California’s voter rolls. He said the government wants the state to set aside ballots linked to that list while eligibility is examined, rather than automatically exclude them.
The list and the proposed ballot review are disputed. California election officials have challenged the list’s reliability and warned that setting ballots aside during an election could be difficult and risk disenfranchising eligible voters. A federal lawsuit sought to require separation of the ballots, but the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the administration’s appeal on November 2. An immigrants’ rights group said in a court filing that more than 40% of people flagged in its analysis were absent from the state’s voter registration records.
The six cases come as federal prosecutors seek help from local authorities investigating potential violations. In San Luis Obispo County, the district attorney announced three felony charges against a man accused of illegally registering and voting in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election.
Six Cases Don’t Prove California Has a Voter Fraud Crisis
The Trump administration is using six cases against lawful permanent residents to press California to set aside ballots linked to a list that state officials say is unreliable. The new defendants are accused of making false statements on naturalization applications; they are not charged specifically with fraudulent voting.
Prosecutors allege the six people, from Mexico, the Philippines, Israel, Canada and Iran, registered and voted before denying their voting histories on citizenship applications. Five had been arrested by November 2. The allegations remain to be tested in court, and prosecutors say each defendant faces up to five years in prison.
Essayli said the cases support the government’s demand to separate ballots associated with roughly 20,000 people it identified as possible noncitizens. But the list itself is contested: an immigrants’ rights group said more than 40% of the people it analyzed could not be found on California’s voter rolls. State officials have warned that setting aside ballots during an election could be logistically difficult and disenfranchise eligible voters.
The Supreme Court rejected the administration’s appeal on November 2. That outcome underscores the stakes of trying to impose a sweeping ballot review on the basis of a disputed list. The government’s own cases concern six people, while California has more than 23 million registered voters.
Federal prosecutors are also turning to local authorities. San Luis Obispo County’s district attorney announced three felony charges against a man accused of voting in the 2021 recall election.
Federal Cases Put California Noncitizen Voting Under Scrutiny
Six more California permanent residents face federal charges in an investigation of alleged noncitizen voting, bringing the total charged in the federal initiative to 34. The cases sharpen the question of whether California is adequately checking voter eligibility as the state prepares to count ballots.
The defendants, originally from Mexico, the Philippines, Israel, Canada and Iran, are accused of voting after registering as citizens and later making false statements about their voting histories on naturalization applications. Five had been arrested by November 2. Each faces a possible sentence of up to five years if convicted; the allegations remain unproven.
Essayli said the defendants appeared on a federal list of roughly 20,000 people identified as possible noncitizens on California’s voter rolls. The administration wants ballots associated with the list separated while eligibility is assessed. Essayli argued that separation would preserve the opportunity to examine the ballots rather than automatically discard them.
California officials dispute the list and warn that a review during an election could be impractical and put eligible voters at risk of disenfranchisement. An immigrants’ rights group said more than 40% of the people it analyzed could not be located on the state’s rolls. The Supreme Court rejected the administration’s appeal on November 2, but federal prosecutors continue to seek cooperation from local authorities.
San Luis Obispo County’s district attorney also announced three felony charges against a man accused of illegally registering and voting in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election. The cases keep enforcement of voting rules—and the reliability of the federal voter list—at the center of the dispute.
Reported by New York Post, The Guardian US, CBS Los Angeles.
