LA election officials say many on the Justice Department's suspected non-citizen list were born in the US

Summary

The Justice Department sent Los Angeles County and the California secretary of state a list of about 20,000 people it suspects are non-citizens, with a 48-hour deadline to segregate ballots cast by anyone on the list unless they could verify their citizenship. California election officials refused, and the department sued them on Thursday. Los Angeles election officials said on Tuesday, in a statement made in court papers, that the list includes a 'high percentage' of people born in the United States. NPR reports that the county's preliminary analysis calls the federal list 'unreliable,' and that some people on it appear to be U.S.-born. The statement raises further questions about the reliability of the list.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   20 Oct 2026, 19:46 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that Los Angeles election officials said on Tuesday that the Justice Department's list of suspected non-citizens in California includes a 'high percentage' of people born in the United States, according to a statement made in court papers.

2. NPR

   21 Oct 2026, 02:15 UTCSource ↗

   NPR reports that Los Angeles County election officials say their preliminary analysis shows the federal list of 20,000 'likely' noncitizens registered to vote in California is 'unreliable,' and that some people on it appear to be U.S.-born.