A California judge barred the Department of Homeland Security from conducting field operations related to voter fraud investigations on Election Day, according to a ruling on Wednesday.
Judge Araceli Martinez-Olgun said the department often relies on proxy databases to guess a person’s immigration status because no federal database tracks individuals’ citizenship status.
Martinez-Olgun wrote that inaccuracies in the data DHS uses to investigate voter fraud and immigration status could put people in immigrant communities at risk of “substantial harm” and discourage them from voting if federal agents carry out field operations on Election Day.
The ruling barred operations until 8 pm on November 3 or until polls close in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Martinez-Olgun said the order was meant to limit voter intimidation and is not intended to infringe on the department’s ability to investigate voter fraud or illegal immigration.
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