COMMERCE, Calif. (KABC) — Federal law enforcement activities were underway in the Commerce area as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s statewide “Operation Protect the Vote” initiative.
Authorities said all four U.S. attorney’s districts in California were involved in the operation. Federal law enforcement officials said more than two dozen arrests were made in connection with allegations that noncitizens registered to vote.
According to federal law enforcement, some of these people are also accused of voting in elections.
The operation comes amid growing conflict between the Trump administration and California over election administration and allegations involving non-citizen voters in the run-up to next month’s midterm elections.
Last week, the Justice Department warned California election officials that processing and tabulating ballots submitted by alleged non-citizen voters could expose them to criminal investigation and possible prosecution. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter wrote: “The legal consequences of facilitating or ignoring a federal crime are significant. Non-citizen voting in a federal election is a federal crime – and knowingly facilitating such conduct is also illegal. »
The letter was addressed to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and copied to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan. Logan responded by saying his office was focused on conducting fair and secure elections and that the matter should be resolved in court.
The warning follows a federal lawsuit seeking to block California from counting the ballots of people the federal government has identified as “likely” noncitizens until their immigration status can be confirmed.
The Justice Department has charged about 90 people with various types of election misconduct this year, including 50 who allegedly voted as noncitizens. The report also notes that research and surveys in various states have found that non-citizen voting is extremely rare.
Federal officials are expected to hold a news conference later Monday morning to provide additional details about the operation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is breaking news. More details will be added as more information becomes available.
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