Federal authorities allege that nine Mexican nationals registered to vote or cast ballots in US elections despite not being citizens. The cases are part of Operation Protect the Vote, a statewide investigation announced by the Justice Department on October 19.
Nine Mexican nationals are among 28 foreign nationals charged in a federal operation targeting alleged election fraud in California, according to the US Department of Justice.
For more on the difference between permanent residency and citizenship, read Parriva’s guide to voter registration for newly naturalized citizens in Califronia
The operation, called Operation Protect the Vote, resulted in 11 arrests announced on October 19, 2026. All 28 defendants are lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green card holders, who are not US citizens and therefore are not eligible to vote in federal elections.
The nine Mexican nationals named in the cases live in communities across California, including Los Angeles County, the Central Valley, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. Authorities allege that they improperly registered to vote, cast ballots while ineligible, or made false statements in immigration and naturalization paperwork.
The Nine Mexican Nationals Named in the Cases
According to the Justice Department, the nine Mexican nationals are:
Flavio Alejandro Zúñiga, 43, of La Puente. Authorities allege he registered to vote in 2003 and later made false statements in naturalization paperwork in February 2026.
Ernest Gutiérrez Ruvalcaba, 57, of Wilmington. Prosecutors allege he fraudulently registered to vote in February 2024 and cast a ballot the following month.
Jesús Narez Madrigal, 52, of Carson. Authorities allege he registered to vote in 2014, voted in the November 2024 general election and made false statements in naturalization paperwork in June 2024.
José Antonio Bañuelos Díaz, 42, of West Adams in Los Angeles. Prosecutors allege he registered to vote in 2007 and made false statements in naturalization paperwork in March 2025.
Sulema de León, 35, of Long Beach. Authorities allege she registered to vote in 2013, made false statements in a naturalization application in 2019 and voted in the November 2020 general election.
Maricela Nazarín González, 43, of Clovis. Prosecutors allege she registered to vote in 2020 while claiming to be a US citizen and subsequently voted in elections in 2022, twice in 2024 and again in 2025.
Camino Giles Jiménez, 51, of Kerman. Authorities allege he knowingly voted in three US elections despite being a noncitizen. The most recent election identified in the complaint was the June 2026 primary.
Juan Antonio Rivas García, 46, of Sacramento. Prosecutors allege he registered to vote in 2018 and 2020, falsely declaring under oath that he was a US citizen, and voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections.
Verónica Bullene, 43, also known as Verónica Hernández Martínez, of Petaluma. Authorities allege she falsely claimed US citizenship when registering to vote in 2022 and 2023, voted in 2024 and later made false statements in her naturalization application.
The allegations vary by defendant. Not every person faces the same charges, and the Justice Department has not established guilt through a conviction in these cases.
What Is Operation Protect the Vote?
The coordinated operation involves all four U.S. attorneys’ offices based in California. Federal authorities say the investigation focuses on allegations of fraudulent voter registration, voting by noncitizens and false statements related to naturalization.
According to the Justice Department, the defendants allegedly misrepresented their citizenship on voter registration applications. In several cases, prosecutors also allege that individuals later denied registering or voting when completing paperwork to become US citizens.
The department said 11 of the 28 defendants were arrested on October 19. The announcement did not say that all nine Mexican nationals were arrested during the operation.
Some charges carry potential prison sentences of up to five years. However, the applicable penalties depend on the specific offenses charged, and the allegations must be established in court.
A Broader Dispute Over California’s Voter Rolls
The operation comes amid an ongoing dispute between the federal government and California election officials over voter registration records and citizenship verification.
The Justice Department says it provided California with a list of more than 20,000 people it considers likely noncitizen registrants and sought to have their mail ballots set aside pending verification. California declined to comply with that request, prompting a federal lawsuit.
The allegations against the 28 defendants provide specific cases for prosecutors to pursue. They do not, by themselves, establish how widespread noncitizen voting is across California or prove that it has affected election outcomes.
