The Trump administration's efforts to review state voter rolls for noncitizens have sparked a legal and political dispute ahead of the November midterm elections. In October, a federal judge blocked the administration's policy of obtaining state voter rolls to cross-reference with federal immigration databases, citing violations of election law and constitutional concerns. Despite the ruling, the Justice Department sued California to block mail-in ballots from approximately 20,000 voters it alleged were noncitizens and charged 28 lawful permanent residents with illegal voter registration.

Republican election officials have publicly criticized the administration's interventions, citing concerns about election security and federal overreach. Democrats filed a federal lawsuit challenging the voter removal efforts, alleging the government's noncitizen voting claims rely on inaccurate data. The dispute escalated further when the Justice Department instructed California county election offices to set aside ballots from people on a federal noncitizen list, warning officials of potential criminal liability if they counted them. State officials and several counties have resisted, and the matter is now before a federal appeals court.