Judge Blocks DHS Field Operations on Suspected Noncitizen Voters in Nine States Over Data Error Risk

The order rests on the absence of any federal citizenship database, which the court found creates a high likelihood of error when reviewing 48.2 million records of questionable provenance and 50.6 million DOJ records processed through the iLab AI system. Officers were required to clear at least 40 subjects in twelve minutes using commercial data only. The injunction does not prohibit investigations into unlawful voting but restricts operations where citizen status cannot be reliably excluded.

DHS gains a mechanism to verify voter eligibility across states that previously withheld or supplied incomplete rolls, yet it incurs litigation costs and operational limits until polls close. The nine states retain control over their lists but face continued federal scrutiny where citizenship data gaps persist. Primary records show both the administration's reliance on external and commercial sources and the court's explicit finding that no reliable federal cross-check exists.

The ruling expires at 8pm on November 3 or when polls close in each state. A 5pm Friday deadline for compliance filings remains in effect. States that refused direct data sharing now operate under the same injunction constraints as those that provided rolls.