Two Indian Nationals Among 28 Green Card Holders Charged with Voter Fraud in California

Two Indian nationals are among 28 green card holders charged with federal election crimes in California by the U.S. Department of Justice. The department issued a statement on October 19 announcing the charges, and 11 of the defendants were arrested in morning raids across the state under 'Operation Protect the Vote'. The joint effort by four U.S. Attorney's Offices in California aims to combat election fraud and uphold electoral integrity.

The Charges And Defendants

The two Indian nationals charged are Amandeep Kaur, aged 30, and Kamlesh Shah, aged 67. According to the Justice Department, Ms. Kaur is a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes seeking to become a U.S. citizen, and she fraudulently registered to vote in December 2022 before voting in the November 2024 U.S. election. Mr. Shah is a resident of Sacramento and is accused of registering to vote on the day of the November 2024 general election and voting that same day. Mr. Shah's case sits in the Eastern District where the charge is voting by an alien in a federal election, a misdemeanour carrying a maximum sentence of one year in federal prison. Ms. Kaur faces felony charges in the Central District of California, which include making false statements in a naturalisation application. Across the wider group of 28 defendants, charges include false statements in naturalisation applications and fraudulent voter registration, both of which are felonies carrying a maximum prison sentence of five years.

State Conflict And Legal Action

All 28 individuals charged are lawful permanent residents with legal immigration status, but they are not U.S. citizens and cannot legally vote in U.S. elections. Court papers cited by the department state that the defendants swore under oath on voter forms that they were U.S. citizens. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter stated in Los Angeles that every defendant appears on a list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants provided to California election officials. The Justice Department gave California this list on October 13 so mail-in ballots could be set aside until citizenship checks were completed, but the state declined to do so. The U.S. government has consequently sued the state, with Mr. McCotter insisting that California must verify citizenship for those registrants before counting mail-in ballots. Prior to these announcements, the Justice Department had already charged roughly 90 people for election misconduct this year, including 50 accused of voting as noncitizens.

Context

Green card holders hold permanent legal residency in the United States and enjoy many rights, but the right to vote in federal elections remains strictly limited to U.S. citizens. Federal and state election authorities use voter registration databases and naturalisation records to verify eligibility and prevent unlawful participation by non-citizens.