San Francisco, CA — A federal judge has blocked the Department of Homeland Security from conducting door-to-door and other field operations targeting suspected noncitizen voters in nine states, finding the administration’s effort relies on unreliable data that could intimidate lawful voters.
U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín issued a preliminary injunction covering California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin through Election Day.
The Trump administration’s “surge initiative” sent armed federal agents to homes to question residents about immigration status and voting history. CBS News reported that hundreds of Homeland Security investigators were reassigned from traditional criminal cases to the voter operation.
Martínez-Olguín found DHS’s lists of suspected illegal voters were “widely known” to contain U.S. citizens and said the operation could create a reasonable fear that lawful voters might be wrongly investigated.
Agents were reportedly expected to complete at least 40 reviews per day, leaving roughly 12 minutes for each case.
The ruling is another setback for the administration’s aggressive campaign around alleged noncitizen voting. Earlier court decisions have also criticized federal voter databases for relying on inaccurate citizenship information and potentially placing eligible Americans at risk.
Documented noncitizen voting remains rare, despite repeated claims from Trump that it is widespread.
The injunction was temporarily stayed until Friday evening to give the administration time to appeal.
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