US judge orders Trump administration to halt noncitizen voting investigation
Federal judge says government’s investigation into alleged noncitizen voting in nine states is relying on flawed data
TL;DR
- A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to halt investigations into noncitizen voter registration in nine states.
- The judge cited the investigation's reliance on error-filled data and its role in intimidating voter assistance efforts.
- The ruling is in effect until after the November 3rd election day.
- The administration has been actively seeking noncitizen voters, though the problem is reportedly rare.
- The lawsuit was filed by nurses' associations, Voto Latino Foundation, and two California counties.
- The Department of Homeland Security stated it focuses on removing aliens who vote and does not plan to investigate U.S. citizens.
- Investigators were reportedly told to target naturalized citizens, using "voluminous and unreliable" lists.
- The judge noted the high likelihood of error due to the lack of a federal citizenship status database and time constraints.
- The Department of Justice faced losses in lawsuits demanding voter roll data from states.
- Plaintiffs argued that some U.S. citizens felt wrongly investigated, leading to intimidation and discouraging participation in campaign events and poll monitoring.
- Details of the "Unlawful Voter Initiative" emerged from a whistleblower report released by Senators Schumer and Padilla.