A Honduran activist, who was taken into custody earlier this year during an anti-ICE demonstration in Southern California, has been arrested by the FBI on charges of unlawful voter registration as part of a wider crackdown on alleged election fraud in the state.
Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, a 30-year-old Honduran national residing in the San Fernando Valley, allegedly committed two felonies by misrepresenting his U.S. citizenship in order to fill out voter registration forms, according to prosecutors.
This arrest, which took place outside a health-care center in Ventura, is described as just the start of an aggressive push against suspected election fraud, with solid backing from federal authorities, noted Bill Essayli, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. He mentioned, “Today’s arrest is the first of many to come.”
Essayli further indicated that states like California have made it too easy for non-citizens to register and receive mail-in ballots, raising concerns about just how many non-citizens might be on the voter rolls.
The arrest of Rivera Flores, who is technically a lawful permanent resident yet not a citizen, coincides with federal investigations into a range of possible election fraud cases in Los Angeles, including an alleged pay-for-vote operation in Skid Row. Reports emerged that federal agents were seen questioning individuals who might have been involved.
During the protracted primary elections in California back in June, federal prosecutors were observed visiting ballot processing facilities following statements from President Trump about an ongoing investigation into the state’s voting procedures.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Renner was inspecting the ballot counting center amidst public frustration over the slow speed of vote counting.
After Rivera Flores was arrested, witnesses saw law enforcement officers surrounding him outside his workplace before taking him away for processing. He reportedly exclaimed, “I did not do nothing. This is abuse.”
He is scheduled to appear in a federal court session on Friday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles.
According to court documents, Rivera Flores was born in Honduras and entered the U.S. in 2002. While he is in the country legally, his lack of citizenship disqualifies him from voting in both federal and local elections.
Back in February, Rivera Flores participated in an anti-ICE protest in Camarillo, where he was involved in obstructing immigration enforcement efforts at a federal facility. He later pleaded guilty and was placed on probation for one year.
Things took another turn in April when he began sending aggressive text messages to a federal agent, using abusive language and expressing anger over immigration actions. In one of those messages, he mentioned looking forward to voting in the upcoming midterms.
Law enforcement eventually discovered that he had registered to vote online while providing false information, including a declaration that he was a U.S. citizen, which he marked on the form. He also utilized his driver’s license to sign up but lacked any record of ever applying for U.S. citizenship or voting in an election.
Essayli criticized California’s relaxed voter registration rules, arguing that they facilitate fraud, as individuals can sign up without providing identification and can even vote using informal IDs like gym cards and utility bills.
Since California does not share its voting rolls with federal authorities, there’s a significant challenge in verifying whether registrants are actually U.S. citizens. The system allows for online registration, further complicating oversight.
A representative from the California State Department, responsible for overseeing elections, replied that anyone wishing to register must affirm that they are a U.S. citizen and not otherwise disqualified from voting, under penalty of perjury. Verifications do occur through comparisons with DMV and Social Security records.
Yet, Essayli points out that non-citizens can also acquire driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers, suggesting a kind of oversight regarding citizenship verification. The state is home to about five million non-U.S. citizens, leaving uncertainty about how many could be registered to vote.
California has so far declined to provide voter information to the federal government, hampering efforts to ensure that only eligible citizens are on the rolls. Essayli remarked on the difficulty in confirming voter status, stating, “They will not give us the voter rolls, so we can check them to make sure that only citizens are on there.”
In a move to compel states like California to share voter registrations, President Trump has recently sought to limit mail-in ballots in states that won’t release their voter data for federal scrutiny.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked this plan, arguing that it might overreach and disrupt existing rules as elections near, causing potential chaos in the voting process.
