New Suit Filed Against DHS Over Field Investigations into Americans’ Eligibility to Vote

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2026

CONTACT
Rocio Ortega | [email protected] | 213-789-6820
Eric Conrad | [email protected]

New Suit Filed Against DHS Over Field Investigations into Americans’ Eligibility to Vote

The California Nurses Association, National Nurses United, the Voto Latino Foundation, Santa Clara County and the City and County of San Francisco are suing with the support of Protect Democracy and the National Immigration Law Center.

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the California Nurses Association, National Nurses United, the County of Santa Clara, the City and County of San Francisco, and the Voto Latino Foundation filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security challenging DHS’s practice of sending armed federal agents to Americans’ homes to question their eligibility to vote. Protect Democracy, the National Immigration Law Center, the San Francisco City Attorney and the Santa Clara County Counsel are co-counsel in the case.

The complaint alleges the practice violates Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits intimidating, threatening, or coercing voters or those assisting voters, or attempting to do so; violates the constitutional right to vote; intrudes upon state and local authority to administer elections; and violates the Administrative Procedure Act.

• DHS built target lists by matching its records against public state voter files, a process the complaint alleges is highly likely to produce large numbers of false positives.
• Those lists were sent to ICE field offices, where agents were directed to conduct in-person interviews at people’s homes.
• Americans most exposed include naturalized citizens, citizens in mixed-status households, and citizens who acquired derivative citizenship as children and may have never held documentation of it.
• The suit asks the court to declare the practice unlawful and to stop it.

Determining who is eligible to vote is the responsibility of state and local election officials, not armed federal agents. Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act protects voters from intimidation wherever pressure is applied — including at a voter’s front door, weeks before an election.

Quotes from Plaintiffs and Counsel

“The right to vote is both the cornerstone and safeguard of our democracy, and it is under attack,” said Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center. “Not content with terrorizing immigrant communities, the administration is now weaponizing federal law enforcement to target voters, especially those with ties to immigrant families. Every single eligible voter should be free to cast their ballot without fear. With this lawsuit, we have sent a very clear message for voters across the country: we have your backs and will do everything in our power to protect our fundamental rights.”

“DHS’ stated intention of questioning Americans at their homes weeks before an election is voter intimidation, and protections against this form of harassment extend beyond the polling place,” said Hayden Johnson, Counsel, Protect Democracy. “If these acts were to occur, it would be the latest example of this administration turning federal law enforcement against voters ahead of the midterms. Protect Democracy has filed suit on behalf of voters and voter assistance organizations to challenge the proposed tactics, and we stand ready to defend the right of voters to make their voice heard without fear.”

“This unlawful tactic is textbook voter intimidation weeks before an election—by a federal agency no less,” said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. “DHS is relying on flawed data to conduct field investigations designed to intimidate eligible voters in our diverse communities. San Francisco will stand up to protect the right to vote and oppose blatant voter suppression efforts.”

“Nurses have been raising the alarm on the administration’s blatant attacks on our democracy, from the attacks on Americans’ right to protest to the illegal and violent tactics of federal immigration officers,” said Jamie Brown, RN and president of the nation’s largest union of registered nurses, National Nurses United, whose affiliate California Nurses Association is also a co-plaintiff. “Our patients and our communities have suffered too much and unnecessarily. Sending armed federal agents to Americans’ homes to question their eligibility to vote is yet another red line crossed. We will do everything in our power to protect the right to vote and fight for greater protections for working people against antidemocratic forces.”

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About us

Established in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is one of the leading organizations in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of low-income immigrants. At NILC, we believe that all people who live in the U.S. should have the opportunity to achieve our full potential. Over the years, we’ve been at the forefront of many of the country’s most pressing immigration issues, and we play a major leadership role in addressing the real-life impact of policies that affect the ability of all of us to prosper and thrive.

Protect Democracy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit group working to prevent American democracy from declining into a more authoritarian form of government.