The United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against California on Thursday, alleging that federal authorities have identified more than 20,000 noncitizens unlawfully registered to vote on state rolls ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Federal Demands and County Pushback
The legal action, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, follows a series of demands issued earlier in the week by Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, cbsnews.com reported. McCotter sent letters to multiple county election offices, including Los Angeles, ordering local officials to review lists of suspected noncitizens who allegedly received mail-in ballots. Officials received a password-protected thumb drive containing Department of Homeland Security data alongside a strict 48-hour compliance deadline.
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan refused to open the device. In a public statement, Logan explained that reviewing the materials would breach established data privacy and information security protocols because the drive did not meet secure medium standards.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber blasted the administration over the matter. Weber stated that federal authorities failed to provide the underlying list of names and criticized what she characterized as unsubstantiated claims regarding 190,000 noncitizens allegedly on state voter rolls.
| Official / Agency | Action Taken | Response / Stance |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Justice | Filed lawsuit in Central District of California | Seeks injunction to halt tabulating ballots from likely noncitizens |
| California Secretary of State Shirley Weber | Responded via official correspondence | Rejected claims as unsubstantiated and criticized federal demands |
| LA County Registrar Dean Logan | Declined to review thumb drive | Cited data privacy protocols and insecure medium standards |
Legal Strategy and Past Precedents
In the lawsuit, government attorneys argued that California failed to cooperate with federal efforts to clean up voter lists. “The Federal Government asked California to work collaboratively to identify any noncitizens registered to vote in the State. California made no serious effort to do so,” the filing stated. The Justice Department is asking the court to enjoin the state from processing mail-in ballots from questioned individuals until citizenship statuses are verified.
This action is part of a broader push led by Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. Dhillon sent letters to all 50 states in July warning of potential criminal action if noncitizens remained on voter rolls. The division has pursued 31 similar lawsuits nationwide to secure unredacted voter lists for Department of Homeland Security screening.
Court records show that federal efforts have faced significant judicial hurdles. The Justice Department has lost 26 of those 31 cases to date without securing a legal victory, prompting prosecutors to rely on publicly available voter records and alternative investigative methods.
The Department of Justice sent a list to California election officials of more than 20,000 individuals who @USCIS and @HSI_HQ identified are likely noncitizens and who are on California’s voter rolls. This is of serious concern because California automatically mails ballots to…
Next Steps in Federal Court
The California Secretary of State’s office indicated that no further information would be provided outside of pending litigation updates, pointing instead to news releases and formal correspondence sent to federal officials.
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More on Department of Homeland Security
🚨BREAKING: The DOJ sued California for sending mail ballots to 20k people the Trump administration claims are likely noncitizens.The lawsuit comes after the DOJ threatened legal action if the state did not set aside cast ballots of those flagged until their citizenship status… pic.twitter.com/MVQmAzOdeF
