The Feds have announced more than two dozen foreign nationals accused of fraudulently registering to vote in American elections.
Under an operation dubbed “Operation Protect the Vote,” authorities say most of those targeted also allegedly cast illegal ballots. Homeland Security agents descended on the Commerce home of Alexander Muñoz around six this morning, in one of several arrests across California. This comes just days after the Justice Department identified more than 20,000 registered California voters it believes may not be American citizens.
Federal officials demanded California verify their citizenship within 48 hours. The state pushed back, disputing the evidence and refused to comply with the demands.
And then there’s CBS News.
Just Sunday night, CBS News’ 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl repeatedly questioned Justice Department Civil Rights chief Harmeet Dhillon, insisting noncitizen voting is “extremely rare.” Dhillon pushed back, saying federal investigators are examining thousands of potential cases and increasing prosecutions.
And now, less than 24 hours later, federal agents are making arrests in California. Federal officials say today’s operation confirms their concerns about illegal voting.
“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,” says Bill Essayli, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California.
