Immigrant Rights Group Sues to Block Federal Voter List

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday to block the Department of Homeland Security from imposing a federal list of eligible voters on California election officials. The nonprofit argues that the Trump administration is attempting to suppress the voting rights of non-U.S. born citizens by cross-referencing federal databases, a process the group claims will result in inaccuracies for naturalized citizens.

Xavier Becerra, a Democratic candidate for governor of California, is participating in the legal action as a senior adviser and voting rights counsel to the UCLA Voting Rights Project. President Donald Trump has defended the policy, maintaining that federal intervention is necessary to prevent widespread illegal voting by noncitizens.

This lawsuit is part of a broader legal conflict over election administration. The Electronic Privacy Information Center has filed a separate challenge regarding the use of federal databases to build voter lists, while the administration is simultaneously appealing to reinstate U.S. Postal Service restrictions on mail-in ballots.