11 Arrested in California on Illegal Voting Charges

Federal US authorities arrested 11 people across California on Monday on charges including fraudulent voter registration in US elections, as part of a campaign that President Donald Trump's administration says targets combating electoral fraud, amidst a legal dispute with the state ahead of midterm elections, Bloomberg reported.

The detainees are part of a group of 28 permanent residents (Green Card holders) charged with various voting-related crimes, under coordinated federal government efforts in California "to combat and eradicate fraud in American elections," according to a statement from Bilal Essaili, First Assistant US Attorney in Los Angeles.

The defendants hail from several countries, including Mexico, Belize, India, Georgia, Tonga, and the Philippines. US authorities say many of them illegally cast votes in multiple elections.

The arrests come amid a broader confrontation between the Trump administration and senior elected officials in California regarding the accuracy of the state's voter rolls, the most populous state in the United States.

Last week, the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against California, accusing the state of refusing to participate in an effort to remove the names of 20,000 individuals suspected of being non-citizens from voter rolls after they were identified by the federal government.

Trent McCarter, Acting Deputy US Attorney, said California refused to review the list, arguing that the charges announced on Monday reveal the risks of this refusal. He urged the state to verify the citizenship of more than 20,000 registered voters listed before counting mail-in ballots.

Walter Garcia, spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta, stated that Bonta believes any claim of electoral fraud "must be taken seriously and investigated."

Garcia added: "The 28 individuals charged this morning represent a very small fraction, about 0.0001%, of the more than 23 million registered voters in California."

He continued: "This is not evidence of widespread electoral fraud, even if the charges are true."

On Monday, the Department of Justice asked the court hearing its case against California to issue a temporary order requiring the state to separate mail-in ballots belonging to the 20,000 individuals on the list and take steps to verify their citizenship before counting their votes.

No date has yet been set for a hearing on the request.

Voter Intimidation Allegations
Janeice Hahn, Los Angeles County Supervisor, described the arrests as "voter intimidation" and "a blatant attempt to undermine confidence in the midterm elections," just 15 days before Election Day.

Hahn said: "These arrests are used to paint a picture suggesting widespread electoral fraud, when we know that is not the case."

She added: "California has laws to protect the integrity of our elections, and Los Angeles County is fully committed to them."

The US Department of Justice has intensified prosecutions related to claims of non-citizen voting or registration in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, filing more than 100 new criminal cases since early September, according to court records.

Trump claimed, without providing evidence, that illegal non-citizen voting contributed to his loss in the 2020 election, while studies examining previous elections have shown such instances are relatively rare in the United States.

California officials, including Bonta, criticized the Trump administration's moves, viewing them as baseless attempts to interfere in the elections and sow doubt about potential results.

Officials also questioned the accuracy of the federal list of individuals suspected of being non-citizens, warning it could violate privacy protection rules.