California DHS Voter Intimidation Challenge
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security
A pro-voting lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s campaign to pressure states to screen voter rolls in search of alleged noncitizens
Background
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and a naturalized U.S. citizen filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The lawsuit challenges federal efforts to pressure California and other states to compare voter rolls against federal databases in search of alleged noncitizen voters. Plaintiffs argue that the campaign is based on unsupported claims, risks wrongly targeting naturalized citizens and unlawfully interferes with states’ authority to administer elections.
They ask the court to block the administration from imposing the list-matching effort on California and to order Mullin to rescind a letter sent to the state.
Why It Matters
This case challenges a federal campaign that plaintiffs say could chill voting and registration among naturalized citizens.
The complaint alleges that database matching efforts often produce false positives because records can be outdated or incomplete, especially for people who became U.S. citizens after earlier interactions with government agencies.
Plaintiffs warn that these efforts could lead to wrongful voter removals, extra scrutiny and fear among eligible voters ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Latest Updates
Sept. 2, 2026: Plaintiffs filed their complaint.