Federal judge restricts DHS field operations looking for noncitizen voters
A federal judge has restricted the Department of Homeland Security from conducting field operations targeting potential noncitizen voters based on flawed data. The ruling cites concerns that the agency's methods could intimidate eligible U.S. citizens from exercising their right to vote.
Why it matters
The decision highlights the tension between election integrity efforts and the protection of civil rights, particularly regarding the use of potentially inaccurate government data.
A federal judge in California is putting limits on pre-election field operations conducted by the Department of Homeland Security that the agency says is aimed at trying to find noncitizens who have illegally voted in nine states.
In recent weeks, armed Homeland Security Investigations officers have carried out field operations and visited homes to interview people suspected of illegally voting as noncitizens. The targets can include people who became citizens but voted before they naturalized.
In a 19-page order late Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, an appointee of President Joe Biden, wrote that the federal government was using "flawed" data in the initiative and that its efforts likely violated the Voting Rights Act, which bars voter intimidation.
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