Federal Authorities Target Legal Permanent Residents in California Amid Illegal Voting Crackdown

Federal authorities in California have charged more than two dozen legal permanent residents as part of a crackdown on individuals accused of illegally voting or registering to do so. The cases, brought forward this week, rely heavily on voter registration data to pursue criminal charges connected to immigration status.

As of Thursday morning, the government had filed charging documents in 10 of the 28 identified cases. Most of the targeted immigrants have lived in the United States for at least five years, with some residing in the country for decades. Many had recently applied for U.S. citizenship, and the new charges threaten to thwart their naturalization efforts and lead to years in prison.

The Department of Justice stated that six individuals face misdemeanor charges for voting as a noncitizen. The remaining 22 individuals face felony charges, including allegations of lying on naturalization applications during interviews or on voter registration forms. Immigrants convicted of illegal voting face up to a year in prison, while those convicted of lying on citizenship applications face up to a decade.

Court documents indicate that the investigation was initiated following a benefits fraud audit performed by the Department of Homeland Security in August. Federal authorities reviewed naturalization and other agency records to build the cases.

Among those charged is José Antonio Bañuelos-Díaz, a 42-year-old legal permanent resident who has lived in the U.S. for 40 years and applied for citizenship in October 2025. Federal documents allege he improperly claimed to be a citizen in 2007 when registering to vote, though he has not been accused of casting a ballot. Bañuelos-Díaz stated he was unaware he had registered, noting that California prompts voters to register when obtaining a driver's license. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Another case involves Pamele Arbues Line, 56, who was arrested by Homeland Security agents in San Diego following her naturalization interview. Charging documents state Line registered to vote five times and submitted ballots in several elections while stating on paperwork that she had never voted. Line told authorities she believed she was a U.S. citizen because her mother had naturalized decades earlier, not realizing she was 19 at the time and not covered under her mother's citizenship. She faces at least 10 years in prison if convicted.

The federal actions coincide with broader efforts by the Trump administration to scrutinize noncitizen voting ahead of midterm elections and step up immigration enforcement. The Department of Justice has also sued California for declining to comply with a request to verify the citizenship status of approximately 20,000 registered voters. State officials maintain that California complies with federal law, that the administration's figures are inflated, and that mail-in ballots are separated from voter identification once received, preventing them from being segregated based on federal data.

Concurrently, government data indicates a slowdown in naturalization approvals, with officials approving 58,000 applications between April and June 2026—less than a quarter of the approvals recorded during the same period in 2025.

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