California residents accused by feds of voter fraud react with shock, confusion and anger

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Set us as preferred At the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles late Monday, several green card holders arrested in a crackdown on alleged California voter fraud expressed confusion over the charges — with some saying they had no recollection of registering to vote, as Trump administration officials accuse them of doing.Among them was Ana Domínguez, 60, a native of El Salvador living in Long Beach as a lawful permanent resident.Federal authorities accused her Monday of fraudulently registering to vote in July 2006 and then lying about it in her naturalization paperwork in March 2026.Domínguez said she did not have any memory of registering to vote.Another man accused of the same crimes as Domínguez said the same: He wasn’t aware of ever registering to vote, as federal prosecutors claimed he had.Both were among the 28 people charged with federal election-related crimes Monday, including fraudulent voter registration and making false statements in a naturalization application.

Federal prosecutors and high-ranking Justice Department officials had touted the arrests during a news conference hours before as proof that California elections are corrupted by noncitizen voters — as President Trump has long alleged.California Federal authorities charge 28 people in California with alleged illegal voter registration or voting, escalating the Trump administration’s fight with state election officials.State officials said the isolated instances of noncitizens voting, if accurate, are not evidence of widespread voter fraud.

They also raised questions as to whether the charges could be trusted to be accurate — citing similar accusations being disproved elsewhere in the country.Election experts have said many instances of noncitizens registering to vote are a result of administrative error or confusion on the part of the i...