Anti-ICE activist’s arrest for voter fraud reinforces need for Proposition 39
Opponents of voter ID say that voter fraud never happens. Then why do people keep getting arrested for it?
On Friday, agents from the Department of Homeland Security arrested Honduran national Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, 30, in Ventura.
He is legally in the country, but he is not a U.S. citizen. According to federal authorities, Flores allegedly registered to vote, regardless.
Flores has already been in trouble with the law. He pleaded guilty earlier this year and was put on probation after physically disrupting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Camarillo, during this winter’s spate of violent anti-ICE protests.
Committing crimes is not a good idea if you are on a visa offering you temporary legal residence in the country.
Nor is registering to vote.
In a further ironic twist, Flores appears to have been caught because he allegedly texted a federal agent who had called him on the phone to interview him as part of the investigation into his participation in the ICE protest.
Flores allegedly sent the agent abusive text messages and suggested that he would be voting in the midterm elections.

He hinted that once Democrats had taken back power, they would punish immigration officials.
Now he finds himself facing two felony charges, and could be deported if he is convicted, according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli — who continues to do an outstanding job.
Flores appears to have been undone by his own arrogance and radicalism.
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But had he not allegedly tried to use his upcoming vote to intimidate a federal agent, he might never have been caught.
There may be many more people like Flores who abuse their legal immigration status to register to vote, even though they are not citizens.
There may also be illegal immigrants who register. And we know that there have also been many foreigners who were registered to vote unwittingly, through glitches at the Department of Motor Vehicles, back when Senator Alex Padilla was Secretary of State.
Essayli says more voter fraud arrests are coming.
And the Flores case shows the need for voter ID.
Proposition 39, which would require proof of citizenship to vote, is a common-sense reform that would prevent bad actors like Flores from registering to vote and casting ballots.
Every unlawful vote cast by a non-citizen like Flores cancels out a lawful vote cast by a U.S. citizen.
Enough is enough.