COMMERCE, Calif. (KABC) — Federal law enforcement activity was underway in the Commerce area as part of the U.S. Department of Justice's statewide "Operation Protect the Vote" initiative.
Authorities said all four U.S. attorney districts in California are involved in the operation. Federal law enforcement officials said more than two dozen arrests have been made in connection with allegations that noncitizens registered to vote.
According to federal law enforcement, some of those individuals are also accused of casting ballots in elections.
The operation comes amid an escalating dispute between the Trump administration and California over election administration and allegations involving noncitizen voters ahead of next month's midterm election.
Last week, the Justice Department warned California election officials that processing and tabulating ballots submitted by suspected noncitizen voters could expose them to criminal investigation and potential prosecution. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter wrote, "The legal consequences for either facilitating or ignoring a federal crime are significant. Noncitizen voting in a federal election is a federal crime — and knowingly facilitating such conduct is equally unlawful."
The letter was addressed to the Los Angeles County Counsel's office and copied to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan. Logan responded by saying his office is focused on conducting a fair and secure election and that the matter should be addressed in court.
The warning followed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent California from counting ballots from people the federal government has identified as "likely" noncitizens until their immigration status can be confirmed.
The Justice Department has charged about 90 people with various types of election misconduct this year, including 50 who are alleged to have voted as noncitizens. The report also noted that research and investigations in various states have found voting by noncitizens to be extremely rare.
Federal officials are expected to hold a news conference later Monday morning to provide additional details about the operation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a breaking news story. More details will be added as more information becomes available.
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