Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Alexander Muñoz at his Commerce home on Monday, October 19, 2026, as a federal operation targeting alleged noncitizen voter registration unfolded across California. Agents arrived around 6 a.m. The sweep reached the Commerce area.
The Justice Department called the statewide initiative Operation Protect the Vote and said all four U.S. attorney districts in California were involved. Authorities said more than two dozen people were arrested. The department said those arrested were lawful permanent residents, not U.S. citizens eligible to vote.
Muñoz, 72, is a Belizean national. Prosecutors allege he registered in September 2019 while claiming to be a U.S. citizen, then voted in 2020, twice in 2022 and in 2024. He is also accused of making a false statement under oath on a naturalization application.
Agents were also seeking more than two dozen people accused of similar conduct. Authorities had not said how many of those additional suspects were in custody. The allegations remain unproven.
Federal law sets the voting rule, while prosecutors must prove intent
Federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 611, criminalizes voting by noncitizens in federal elections. Muñoz also faces allegations involving a false statement on his naturalization application. He has not been convicted.
The Justice Department’s warning to California officials raised a separate question: whether election workers could face criminal liability for handling ballots cast by people federal agencies identified as likely noncitizens. The department cited the federal aiding-and-abetting law, 18 U.S.C. § 2. That law requires proof of intent.
Sam Trepel, a career prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division who served 16 years at the Justice Department under Republican and Democratic administrations, said prosecutors would have to show that officials intended to help bring about the alleged crime. The Ninth Circuit’s model jury instructions say it is not enough that a defendant unknowingly or unintentionally helped conduct that amounted to a crime. Prosecutors must prove the defendant acted with knowledge and intent beyond a reasonable doubt.
Trepel also noted the timing. The warning letter came 17 days before Election Day, more than two weeks after Los Angeles County began mailing ballots.
California disputes a federal list of 20,000 suspected noncitizens
Federal officials supplied Los Angeles County with a password-protected thumb drive listing 20,000 people they suspected of being noncitizens who had been sent mail ballots. The administration told state election officials to review the names within 48 hours.
California did not meet that deadline. The federal government filed suit Thursday, two days after Justice Department officials issued the review demand. The administration said the people on the list were likely noncitizens sent ballots for the Nov. 3 election. Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the government had supplied no evidence for that assertion.
California mails ballots to all registered voters. The federal lawsuit sought to stop the state from counting ballots from people identified as likely noncitizens until officials confirmed their immigration status. Its complaint alleged a Supremacy Clause violation, accusing California and Los Angeles County of knowingly sending and counting ballots for likely noncitizens in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 611.
That list is not proof that every person named was ineligible to vote. The allegations have not been established. Federal officials also sent letters Tuesday to Weber and Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan about the thumb drive.
California officials and federal prosecutors clash over the warning
Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter sent a warning letter to the Los Angeles County Counsel’s office and copied Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan. The letter followed the lawsuit by one day. McCotter warned that election officials could face criminal investigation and prosecution for knowingly processing or tabulating ballots cast by people federal agencies identified as noncitizens.
“The legal consequences for either facilitating or ignoring a federal crime are significant.”
McCotter also warned that officials who knowingly tabulated ballots cast by people identified by federal agencies as noncitizens risked aiding and abetting a federal crime. Logan said his office was focused on conducting a fair and secure election and that the issue should be addressed in court. A representative confirmed receipt of the letter.
Bill Essayli, Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor, said the charges supported the federal government’s claims. “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”
Gov. Gavin Newsom said the operation sought to interfere with the state’s voting process. He wrote on X: “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.”
Trump issued a separate warning on Truth Social: “They will all go to jail for a long period of time!” The statements came as California officials challenged the federal government’s allegations about the list.
The arrests add to a broader federal election-crime push
Before Monday, the Justice Department had charged about 90 people with election-related misconduct this year, including 50 accused of voting as noncitizens. The figures cover allegations, not convictions. Defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted.
The United States had more than 227 million registered voters during the 2024 presidential election. California had more than 23 million registered voters. The federal government has also sought detailed voter records from states, including dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.
Prosecutors planned a press conference later Monday morning to provide details.
