Two Indian nationals are among 28 green card holders charged with alleged election fraud in California, with US authorities accusing them of registering to vote despite not being American citizens and casting ballots in the November 2024 presidential election.

The US Department of Justice identified the two accused as Amandeep Kaur, 30, and Kamlesh Shah, 67, in a statement issued on Monday. It said both had been charged with fraudulently registering as voters and voting in the 2024 US elections.

The department announced the charges as part of ‘Operation Protect the Vote’, an initiative aimed at investigating election fraud and protecting electoral integrity. Eleven of the 28 accused were arrested during early morning raids across California, but it was not immediately clear whether Kaur and Shah were among those detained.

What are the allegations against the two Indians?

According to the Justice Department, Shah, a resident of Sacramento, registered to vote on the day of the November 2024 general election and cast his ballot that day.

Kaur, who lives in Rancho Palos Verdes and is seeking US citizenship, allegedly registered as a voter in December 2022 and voted in the November 2024 election.

The department said all 28 accused are lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green card holders. While green card holders have legal immigration status in the US, they are not citizens and are not permitted to vote in US elections.

What charges do they face?

The criminal charges include making false statements in naturalisation applications, while some of the accused also face charges of fraudulent voter registration. Both offences are felonies carrying a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the 28 accused were identified on a list of more than 20,000 suspected non-citizen voter registrants that the department had provided to California election officials the previous week.

Before Monday's announcement, the Justice Department had charged around 90 people with various forms of election misconduct during the year, including 50 accused of voting as non-citizens.

The United States had more than 227 million registered voters during the 2024 presidential election.

With PTI inputs