As part of an effort to combat election fraud, the US Justice Department has charged 28 green card holders in California—including two Indian nationals—with voter fraud.
As per the statement released by the US Department of Justice on Monday, Amandeep Kaur (30) and Kamlesh Shah (67) have been charged with fraudulently registering as voters and casting their ballots in the November 2024 US elections.
The arrest comes amid the Justice Department's 'Operation Protect the Vote' initiative, which is aimed at combating election fraud. A series of raids was conducted across California as part of the operation.
Shah, a resident of Sacramento, allegedly registered to vote and cast his ballot on the same day during the November 2024 general election. Kaur, a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes seeking US citizenship, allegedly registered in December 2022 and voted in the 2024 election.
The department said, "All 28 foreign nationals charged are lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or 'green card' holders. Although LPRs have legal immigration status in the United States, they are not US citizens and are not permitted to vote in US elections."
The charges include making false statements in naturalisation applications and, in some cases, fraudulent voter registration. Both are felony offences carrying a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison
“Each of the 28 defendants charged today appears on the list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants we provided to California election officials last week,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter told reporters in Los Angeles, according to PTI.
So far, the Justice Department has charged about 90 people with various forms of election misconduct this year, including 50 accused of voting despite not being US citizens
The US had more than 227 million registered voters during the 2024 presidential election.
