The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Oct. 21, 2026
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October 20, 2026 12:17 pmLOS ANGELES, CA — The Department of Justice had already sued the State of California when the state did not cooperate with DOJ’s 48-hour deadline to verify 20,000 registered voters alleged to be noncitizens. Oct. 19th, DOJ escalated the confrontation by announcing the arrests of 28 green card holders, alleging they were registered to vote or had voted. Eleven have been charged.
The 28 came from all four of California’s U.S. judicial districts, and included legal residents from 15 countries. In a press conference announcement, Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said, “It’s about preventing voter fraud that cancels out the votes of U.S. citizens. Enforcing federal law increases the integrity of elections,” UNQUOTE.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said most were identified by comparing publicly-available voting records with citizenship application forms which asked whether the applicant had ever registered or voted.
Essayli boasted, “Today’s arrests prove what we have been saying.” But state officials were more guarded. In a separate press conference later that day, California Attorney General Rob Bonta emphasized that the violations, if proved, were distributed around California, and amounted to 0.0001% of California’s 23 million voters, not the widespread abuse alleged by the Trump administration.
We’ve linked to the local reporting and DOJ’s press conference at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources
U.S. Department of Justice – Justice Department Charges 28 Foreign Nationals in California for Election Crimes
KCRA 3 – U.S. Justice Department Press Conference
CalMatters – Federal prosecutors charge 28 California green card holders with voting violations
ABC7 / AP – Justice Department charges more than 2 dozen in California sweep targeting alleged noncitizen voters
American Bar Association – Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth, Again
Brennan Center for Justice – Noncitizen Voting: The Missing Millions
Related ADM Reports:
American Democracy Minute – Having Failed to Compel California to Turn Over Its Voter Records, DOJ Demanded the State Find Its Own Noncitizen Registered Voters – In 48 Hours.
American Democracy Minute – In State of the Union Speech, Trump Pushes ‘SAVE America Act’, Voter ID, Proof of Citizenship and Ending Mail-In Ballots; Repeats Debunked Noncitizen Voting Claims
Groups Taking Action:
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State
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