The Trump administration's voter-roll suits and its hunt for noncitizen voters

Active · last development Oct 7, 2026: “ICE reviewed tens of millions of voter records looking for noncitizen voters, records show”

Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, the Trump administration pressed an unprecedented effort to find and prosecute noncitizens who vote, pushing federal agencies to review state voter rolls[1] and suing states that refused to hand theirs over.[2] The campaign has shown that such voting is rare and has not been shown to change election outcomes,[3] and one of its biggest claims collapsed when Nevada found that the people flagged there were US citizens.[4]

Photo from Fox News, with Judge says federal law banning noncitizen voting is unconstitutional (Oct 2, 2026), the story with the most independent sources this week.
What this arc covers

The Trump administration's effort to obtain state voter rolls and to find and prosecute noncitizens who vote, ahead of the 2026 midterm elections: the Justice Department's lawsuits since September 2025 against states that refused to hand over voter-roll data, which reached 18 states, and the judges who dismissed the suits against California, Michigan, Massachusetts, Arizona, New Mexico and New Jersey; the Homeland Security Department's claims about noncitizens on state voter rolls, including in California and Nevada, and the states' disputes of those claims; the Justice Department's threats to election officials and its prosecutions; the arrests that experts say show such voting is rare; ICE's review of voter records; and a federal judge's ruling that the law banning noncitizen voting is unconstitutional.

Earliest story we hold Sep 17, 2025 · 37 stories · 117 independent sources (counted once each) · 385 days

Part ofUnited States Department of JusticeUnited States Department of Homeland SecurityDonald TrumpNevadaMassachusettsMichiganArizonaJoe Biden

Background

In late 2025 the Justice Department sued states that refused to hand over detailed voter-roll data,[2] and federal judges dismissed several of the suits; in Michigan, a judge ruled that the Civil Rights Act does not authorize access to statewide voter lists.[5] In July 2026 the department warned state election officials that they could face criminal charges if noncitizens were on their voter rolls or cast ballots.[6] Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the department had found more than 250,000 potential noncitizens registered to vote in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada after comparing voter rolls.[7] Pennsylvania officials asked the department to back up its claim of more than 14,000 noncitizens in that state,[8] and in August the department told Nevada that it had identified only 185 potential noncitizen voters after earlier citing nearly 16,000.[9] Nevada officials later found that all 185 were US citizens.[4] In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said about 6,600 noncitizens had been mistakenly registered to vote, and a judge rejected the department's request for the state's unredacted rolls.[10]

The White House pushed federal agencies to speed up their review of at least 47 state voter rolls,[1] and the effort drew on tens of millions of records.[11] Prosecutors brought charges in states including Texas and Georgia,[12][13] and experts said the number of arrests showed how rare such voting is.[14] A review of official records found that states may have added more than 30,000 self-declared noncitizens to voter rolls since 2000 through software glitches and clerical errors, too few to affect elections, experts said.[15]

In October, US District Judge David Leibowitz in Florida ruled that the federal law criminalizing noncitizen voting is unconstitutional and dismissed charges against a woman who had voted in 2020.[16]

Supporting stories (16)
  1. White House hunts for noncitizen voters
  2. Justice Department sues 4 more states for access to detailed voter data
  3. Trump's campaign against noncitizen voting demonstrates it's rare and not enough to swing elections
  4. 185 noncitizen voters flagged by Trump admin in Nevada are likely citizens, state says
  5. Judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit seeking Michigan's voter roll data
  6. DOJ threatens top election officials over noncitizen voting
  7. DHS reveals staggering number of potential non-citizens registered to vote in California
  8. Pennsylvania responds to Homeland Security's non-citizen voter claims
  9. DHS confirms just 185 non-citizens on Nevada voter rolls after claiming there were thousands more
  10. Judge rejects DOJ request for access to unredacted NJ voter rolls
  11. ICE reviewed tens of millions of voter records looking for noncitizen voters, records show
  12. Federal charges announced in Texas are part of broader Trump focus on noncitizen voting
  13. Handful of noncitizens accused of voting in Georgia
  14. Trump's focus on noncitizen voting has led to 160 arrests. That shows it's rare, experts say
  15. How US states mistakenly added 30,000 non-citizens to voter rolls
  16. Judge says federal law banning noncitizen voting is unconstitutional

Overview updated Oct 7, 2026

Part of Trump and elections

  1. The SAVE Act in Congress, the bill to require proof of citizenship to voteJul 10, 2024 – Aug 8, 2026
  2. Trump's orders to require proof of citizenship and limit mail votingMar 25, 2025 – Oct 2, 2026
  3. The Trump administration's voter-roll suits and its hunt for noncitizen votersThis arcSep 17, 2025 – Oct 7, 2026
  4. The Supreme Court case over counting mail ballots that arrive after Election DayNov 10, 2025 – Jun 29, 2026
  5. The FBI's seizure of Fulton County's 2020 election ballotsJan 28 – Jul 7, 2026

Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning

Oct 72026ICE reviewed tens of millions of voter records looking for noncitizen voters, records show8 articles · 8 independent sources
0 left, 1 center, 0 right
Oct 6– 72026Examining the DOJ's effort to prosecute non-citizens accused of voting2 articles · 2 independent sources
2 left, 0 center, 0 right
Oct 52026Biden judge declares ban on noncitizens voting 'unconstitutional' weeks before midterms2 articles · 2 independent sources
0 left, 0 center, 1 right

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

  1. Sep 17 – 18, 2025DOJ suing Oregon and Maine as it seeks voter data in multiple states17 articles · 13 independent sources
  2. Sep 25 – 26, 2025Justice Department sues six more states in push for voter data25 articles · 13 independent sources
  3. Jul 7 – 10, 2026DOJ threatens top election officials over noncitizen voting35 articles · 28 independent sources
  4. Jul 16 – 18, 2026DHS reveals staggering number of potential non-citizens registered to vote in California25 articles · 22 independent sources
    1. Jul 16, 2026DHS finds 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote, Trump expected to reveal in primetime speech
    2. Jul 17, 2026Mullin reveals 250k non-citizens registered to vote in just four states
  5. Jul 28 – 31, 2026Judge rejects DOJ request for access to unredacted NJ voter rolls18 articles · 13 independent sources
    1. Jul 28, 2026Mikie Sherrill refuses to provide DOJ with info about the 6,600 non-citizens erroneously registered to vote in New Jersey
    2. Jul 29, 2026DOJ demanded data from the N.J. noncitizen voters. Gov. Mikie Sherrill said no.
    3. Jul 29, 2026Federal judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit over New Jersey voter rolls
  6. Aug 18 – 21, 2026Experts slam ‘flawed’ Trump administration Census report on alleged noncitizen voting18 articles · 17 independent sources
  7. Sep 21 – 24, 2026Trump's focus on noncitizen voting has led to 160 arrests. That shows it's rare, experts say16 articles · 14 independent sources
    1. Sep 21, 2026Department of Homeland Security investigating 1,620 cases of alleged voter fraud, Mullin says
    2. Sep 21, 2026Feds arrest, indict hundreds in Trump voter fraud crackdown: 'Catching it all over the country'

Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side

Sep 2025Dec 2025Feb 2026May 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026

LeftCenterRight

Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Every week as a table
Week ofLeftCenterRightArticles
Sep 15, 202543217
Sep 22, 202535434
Dec 1, 20250218
Dec 8, 20251207
Jan 12, 20263118
Feb 9, 202642613
Apr 6, 20263117
Apr 27, 20261338
Jul 6, 2026107835
Jul 13, 2026271430
Jul 27, 202643838
Aug 10, 202622612
Aug 17, 202633720
Aug 24, 202602011
Aug 31, 20260113
Sep 14, 202613829
Sep 21, 2026581139
Sep 28, 202613819
Oct 5, 202621112

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

30% left · 32% center · 38% right of 117 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 37 stories.

Every storyoldest first

  1. September 2025

    Sep 17– 18DOJ suing Oregon and Maine as it seeks voter data in multiple states17 articles · 13 independent sources
    4 left, 3 center, 2 right
  2. Sep 25– 26Justice Department sues six more states in push for voter data25 articles · 13 independent sources
    2 left, 4 center, 3 right
  3. Sep 25DOJ sues Minnesota for refusing to hand over voter rolls9 articles · 9 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 1 right

  4. December 2025

    Dec 3DOJ sues additional states for not handing over voter data8 articles · 3 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 1 right
  5. Dec 12Justice Department sues 4 more states for access to detailed voter data7 articles · 7 independent sources
    1 left, 2 center, 0 right

  6. January 2026

    Jan 16A federal judge dismisses the DOJ's effort to get voter data from California8 articles · 8 independent sources
    3 left, 1 center, 1 right

  7. February 2026

    Feb 10– 11Judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit seeking Michigan's voter roll data13 articles · 13 independent sources
    4 left, 2 center, 6 right

  8. April 2026

    Apr 10A federal judge dismisses another DOJ lawsuit seeking voter data, this time in Massachusetts7 articles · 7 independent sources
    3 left, 1 center, 1 right
  9. Apr 29Federal judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit against Arizona seeking voter data8 articles · 8 independent sources
    1 left, 3 center, 3 right

  10. July 2026

    Jul 7– 10DOJ threatens top election officials over noncitizen voting35 articles · 28 independent sources
    10 left, 7 center, 8 right
  11. Jul 14– 15Federal judge dismisses DOJ demand for unredacted New Mexico voter data5 articles · 5 independent sources
    1 left, 4 center, 0 right
  12. Jul 16– 18DHS reveals staggering number of potential non-citizens registered to vote in California25 articles · 22 independent sources
    1 left, 3 center, 14 right
  13. Jul 28– 30Flap over noncitizens on state voter rolls seen as unlikely to boost SAVE America Act14 articles · 1 independent sources
    2 left, 0 center, 0 right
  14. Jul 28– 31Judge rejects DOJ request for access to unredacted NJ voter rolls18 articles · 13 independent sources
    3 left, 1 center, 8 right
  15. Jul 30Pennsylvania responds to Homeland Security's non-citizen voter claims6 articles · 3 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 0 right

  16. August 2026

    Aug 13– 14Five non-citizens charged with illegal voting in 2024 election by Michigan Attorney General12 articles · 10 independent sources
    2 left, 2 center, 6 right
  17. Aug 18– 21Experts slam ‘flawed’ Trump administration Census report on alleged noncitizen voting18 articles · 17 independent sources
    3 left, 2 center, 6 right
  18. Aug 21– 22DHS confirms just 185 non-citizens on Nevada voter rolls after claiming there were thousands more3 articles · 3 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 1 right
  19. Aug 29– 31Noncitizen voting claims animate Trump's attacks on midterms and set up potential result challenges12 articles · 11 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 0 right

  20. September 2026

    Sep 5– 6Trump DOJ Charges Nearly 4 Times More Noncitizens in Election Fraud Cases Than Biden DOJ2 articles · 1 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 1 right
  21. Sep 14ICE has no plans to 'sweep polling locations' for noncitizens, Homan says16 articles · 9 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 2 right
  22. Sep 15– 16Federal charges announced in Texas are part of broader Trump focus on noncitizen voting7 articles · 7 independent sources
    1 left, 2 center, 2 right
  23. Sep 16– 17Nigerian noncitizen charged with illegal voting in 2022 midterm and 2024 presidential primary6 articles · 6 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 4 right
  24. Sep 21– 24Trump's focus on noncitizen voting has led to 160 arrests. That shows it's rare, experts say16 articles · 14 independent sources
    1 left, 3 center, 8 right
  25. Sep 24– 26How US states mistakenly added 30,000 non-citizens to voter rolls9 articles · 3 independent sources
    1 left, 2 center, 1 right
  26. Sep 24– 25White House hunts for noncitizen voters5 articles · 1 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 1 right
  27. Sep 24– 25185 noncitizen voters flagged by Trump admin in Nevada are likely citizens, state says4 articles · 4 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 1 right
  28. Sep 24– 25DHS claims about noncitizen voters in Nevada completely collapse under scrutiny3 articles · 3 independent sources
    3 left, 0 center, 0 right
  29. Sep 25Florida election fraud: Noncitizens and felons charged in voting crackdown2 articles · 2 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 1 right
  30. Sep 27– 29Trump ramps up noncitizen voting prosecutions3 articles · 1 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 1 right
  31. Sep 28Feds Charge Two With Illegally Voting Months After 6600 Noncitizens Found On NJ Voter Rolls2 articles · 2 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 1 right
  32. Sep 29Handful of noncitizens accused of voting in Georgia3 articles · 3 independent sources
    1 left, 0 center, 0 right

  33. October 2026

    Oct 1Trump's campaign against noncitizen voting demonstrates it's rare and not enough to swing elections5 articles · 5 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 0 right
  34. Oct 2– 3Judge says federal law banning noncitizen voting is unconstitutional8 articles · 8 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 6 right
  35. Oct 5Biden judge declares ban on noncitizens voting 'unconstitutional' weeks before midterms2 articles · 2 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 1 right
  36. Oct 6– 7Examining the DOJ's effort to prosecute non-citizens accused of voting2 articles · 2 independent sources
    2 left, 0 center, 0 right
  37. Oct 7ICE reviewed tens of millions of voter records looking for noncitizen voters, records show8 articles · 8 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 0 right