A federal judge has restricted the Department of Homeland Security's investigations into suspected noncitizen voting in nine states. This ruling, issued with the midterms approaching, curtails a significant part of the Trump administration's efforts. The judge blocked election-related field operations and interviews concerning potential noncitizen voters that might involve U.S. citizens. The court expressed concern over the government's "intimidating conduct" interfering with citizens' right to encourage voter participation. DHS compiled a "target list" of individuals from various data sources, but the judge questioned the accuracy of this information. This is due to a lack of a comprehensive federal database for U.S. residents' citizenship status. The prioritized states for these probes included California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin. Whistleblower reports alleged that officials used "highly questionable data" and methods for these investigations. DHS stated its focus is on removing aliens who vote illegally, not U.S. citizens. The administration defended its use of available data, arguing allegations of voter intimidation were too vague. Courts have previously blocked similar attempts by the administration to access state voter data.