Judge restricts DHS field operations for noncitizen voters : NPR

Key Points:

• A federal judge in California has restricted Department of Homeland Security (DHS) field operations targeting suspected noncitizen voters in nine states, citing the use of flawed data and potential violations of the Voting Rights Act.
• The judge expressed concern that DHS's reliance on unreliable data and publicized arrests could intimidate citizens from exercising or supporting others' voting rights.
• DHS operations involved armed officers interviewing individuals suspected of illegal voting, including naturalized citizens who voted before naturalization, but the judge barred targeting anyone known or reasonably suspected to be a U.S. citizen without further investigation.
• The ruling follows whistleblower revelations about rushed data matching efforts that mistakenly included U.S. citizens on suspect lists, and comes amid ongoing lawsuits and criticism from civil rights groups about voter intimidation.
• The Department of Justice continues legal actions related to noncitizen voting, including a lawsuit demanding California segregate ballots from alleged noncitizens and charges against 28 green card holders accused of illegal voting.