Federal agents swept across California on Monday morning to arrest suspects in numerous voter fraud cases, pursuing targets connected to a list of more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens who allegedly registered to vote in next month’s midterm election.
The law enforcement campaign, called “Operation Protect the Vote,” targeted [1] more than two dozen foreign nationals charged with fraudulently registering to vote in US elections. Most of those suspects allegedly went on to cast illegal ballots.
Homeland Security Investigations agents arrived at the Commerce home of Alexander Muñoz at around 6 a.m. as part of the operation. Agents pounded on the front door and called for Muñoz to come outside.
FBI and our partners executed more arrests this morning tied to alleged voter fraud.
Protecting American elections from criminal interference remains a top priority of this @FBI.
We will use every legal resource to hold those who violate our election laws accountable and defend every American citizen’s constitutional right to vote. @DHSgov
-DKP
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 19, 2026 [2]
Muñoz eventually emerged from the residence and was taken into custody. Authorities identified the 72-year-old suspect as a Belizean national.
Investigators said Muñoz fraudulently registered to vote in September 2019 by claiming that he was a US citizen. He then allegedly voted in US elections in 2020, twice in 2022, and again in 2024.
Authorities also accused Muñoz of lying on his application to become a naturalized US citizen. Investigators said he falsely stated under oath that he had never claimed to be a citizen.
Muñoz now faces felony charges, including making false statements in a naturalization application. Federal authorities sought more than two dozen additional people on Monday who were accused of similar offenses.
It was not immediately clear how many of the targeted suspects had been apprehended. Prosecutors planned to hold a press conference later Monday morning to provide additional details about the operation.
LA’s top federal prosecutor, Bill Essayli, said the cases supported the federal government’s claims about widespread voter fraud in California.
“Today’s arrests confirm what we suspected and what we put California on notice for: Noncitizens are voting in California elections, which is unconstitutional and illegal,” Essayli said.
The arrests marked the latest escalation in the federal government’s attempt to confront alleged electoral wrongdoing in California. Local officials have denied that voter fraud is a widespread problem in the state.
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against California last week over the state’s failure to examine a list containing more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens who allegedly registered to vote in next month’s midterm election.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday, two days after Justice Department officials ordered California election officials to review the list. Federal officials gave the state 48 hours to comply with the demand.
Justice Department lawyers argued that the federal government has an obligation to intervene to prevent California from allowing noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Federal law permits only US citizens to vote in those elections.
Federal officials provided Los Angeles County with a thumb drive secured by a password that identified suspected noncitizens who had been sent ballots by mail. Letters concerning the list were sent Tuesday to Secretary of State Shirley Weber and LA County Clerk Dean Logan.
Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter warned Logan and Weber that they would face a legal challenge if they failed to review the list within the deadline. A representative for Logan confirmed that the letter had been received.
Gov. Gavin Newsom attacked the federal effort and accused the Trump administration of attempting to interfere with California’s voting process.
“This is a sad, desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department to try to suppress California voters just three weeks before Election Day,” Newsom wrote on X. “Courts have made clear the federal government has no role in running state elections.”
US Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the federal lawsuit and warned about the consequences if California were found responsible in court.
“State-facilitated voter fraud is unacceptable in the United States of America,” Blanche said. “If found responsible in a court of law, the State of California will have seriously undermined confidence in our electoral system.”