The Department of Justice has charged 28 California voters with being noncitizens.
Posted by Up First from NPR, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 92%
Up First from NPROct 20, 2026
… Republicans are spending heavily to defend traditionally conservative territory as Democrats expand the midterm map two weeks before Election Day. The Justice Department has charged 28 California voters it says are noncitizens while asking a federal judge to stop thousands of other ballots from being counted. Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. …
The DOJ's October 19, 2026 press release and multiple tier1 outlets confirm that 28 people in California were charged, and all are green card holders who are not U.S. citizens, so the claim that they were noncitizens is supported.
The host relays this claim without endorsing it. It counts as passed on, not against the post.
What we found
Supports. The DOJ press release states that all 28 foreign nationals charged are lawful permanent residents who are not U.S. citizens and are not permitted to vote in U.S. elections.[3]
Supports. The Hill and AP report that the DOJ charged 28 alleged noncitizen California voters, with the charges including fraudulent voter registration and false statements on naturalization paperwork.[1][4]
Supports. Reuters reports the DOJ said on October 19 it had charged 28 people in California, all legal permanent residents, with voting as noncitizens or making false statements on voting or naturalization paperwork.[2]
Context. Some outlets note that the charges are not proof of widespread fraud and that some election-related charges appear to have been reduced or are weaker than announced, though this does not dispute that the 28 were charged as noncitizens.[5][6]
Sources
6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 1 tier 1, 2 not rated
- 1Trump's shift on Ukraine pushes ties to new low, Europe ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Trump expands hunt for noncitizen voters with broad subpoena campaign before midtermsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Justice Department Charges 28 Foreign Nationals in ...justice.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Justice Department targets and charges 28 alleged noncitizen ...thehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 5DOJ alleges noncitizen voting in California. Here's what evidence ...abc7news.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 6As the DOJ amps up threats against noncitizen voting in California, the number of cases remain lowms.now · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The Department of Justice charged 28 people in California with voting illegally or unlawfully registering to vote in federal elections.True
- The Justice Department has charged 28 people in California with election crimes.True
- The Department of Justice has charged more than a hundred non-citizens across about 20 states with voting and registration crimes in recent weeks.True
- The U.S. Justice Department has charged more than 113 alleged non-citizens with voting offenses across the country.True
- The Justice Department charged 28 lawful permanent residents in California with illegal voting, fraudulent registrations, and false statements as part of Operation Protect the Vote.True