Federal Judge Orders DOJ to Turn Over List of More Than 20,000 Alleged Noncitizen Voters to CHIRLA and UCLA Voting Rights Project Legal Teams

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alberto Lammers; alberto@uclavrp.org

WIN: Federal Judge Orders DOJ to Turn Over List of More Than 20,000 Alleged Noncitizen Voters to CHIRLA and UCLA Voting Rights Project Legal Teams

In a significant victory in CHIRLA v. DHS, judge orders disclosure by 5 p.m. ET, allowing plaintiffs’ attorneys to examine the list and protect eligible voters.

WASHINGTON (October 30, 2026) — Chief Judge James E. Boasberg today ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to provide the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and the UCLA Voting Rights Project legal teams (VRP) with its list of more than 20,000 California registrants identified as alleged noncitizens by 5 p.m. ET. The order followed a hearing in the lawsuit brought by CHIRLA and California voter Pedro Trujillo, represented by attorneys from CHIRLA and the UCLA Voting Rights Project, including VRP Senior Advisor Xavier Becerra.

Access to the list will allow the plaintiffs’ legal teams to examine whom the government has identified and assess its impact on eligible voters. Plaintiffs argue that federal database-matching efforts risk wrongly flagging naturalized citizens and that demands to withhold or segregate ballots intimidate voters and interfere with election administration.

“We’re grateful for the court’s ruling, which gives us an opportunity to examine the government’s list and protect our clients’ right to vote,” said VRP Legal Director Chad Dunn. “Citizens should not have to file a lawsuit to find out whether their own government has wrongly labeled them noncitizens on a secret list.”

“The court’s ruling allows us to inspect these flawed lists to protect our CHIRLA members and clients who may be flagged incorrectly as noncitizen voters. Moreover, we will continue to seek broad relief against the Government’s attempt to intimidate voters, local and state officials alike during what should be a ‘quiet’ as we engage in the solemn work of exercising the right to vote and participate in fair and free elections,” added CHIRLA General Counsel Carl Bergquist.

Plaintiffs argue that the government’s actions are already causing harm by making eligible citizens, including naturalized citizens, afraid to vote. The government’s continued demands and threats of prosecution against election officials compound that fear, while voters have no way to know whether they have been wrongly included on its list. CHIRLA has had to devote additional time and resources to addressing those concerns and helping eligible voters understand and exercise their rights.

The court called for supplemental briefing on standing following disclosure of the list. 

Earlier this week, a federal judge in United States v. California denied a Department of Justice’s request to require California to set aside ballots. The CHIRLA case seeks an affirmative order against the broader federal policy plaintiffs challenge.

Background

The lawsuit, filed September 2 by CHIRLA and California voter Pedro Trujillo, represented by attorneys from CHIRLA and the UCLA Voting Rights Project, challenges federal database-matching efforts that plaintiffs argue risk wrongly identifying naturalized citizens as noncitizens and interfering with California’s elections.

On October 15, plaintiffs sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction after DOJ gave California officials 48 hours to review a list of more than 20,000 alleged noncitizen registrants and demanded that officials withhold or segregate ballots from people whose citizenship they could not independently confirm. Plaintiffs argue that those demands and subsequent threats of criminal consequences for election officials exceed federal authority and threaten eligible citizens’ right to vote.

Following the case’s reassignment to Chief Judge James E. Boasberg, the court held a scheduling conference on October 21. Plaintiffs filed a superseding emergency motion on October 22, incorporating subsequent federal actions and additional evidence of harm to naturalized citizens and CHIRLA’s voter assistance work. The motion asks the court to halt the challenged policy, including efforts to pressure election officials to remove registered voters, withhold their ballots or refuse to count their votes.

The government filed its opposition on October 26, and plaintiffs filed their reply on October 28, completing briefing ahead of the October 30 hearing.

###

ABOUT the UCLA Voting Rights Project

The UCLA Voting Rights Project was established to protect equal voting rights for all Americans through strategic litigation, social science research and policy advocacy. The VRP seeks to ensure that all individuals are afforded equal access to the electoral process and representation in governance. For more information about the UCLA Voting Rights Project, please visit vrp.ucla.edu.