Los Angeles County election officials have admitted they cannot independently verify voter citizenship. They rely solely on voter attestations, as they lack access to immigration records. Assistant Registrar Monica Flores stated their office is not equipped for such verification. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli labeled this a significant concession, emphasizing that only citizens are legally allowed to vote. California has reportedly not addressed a list of 20,000 suspected noncitizens or segregated their ballots. Governor Gavin Newsom's office argues California complies with the National Voter Registration Act, which permits reliance on sworn statements. The Department of Justice is suing California to segregate ballots from these suspected noncitizens pending verification. Federal agents recently arrested over two dozen foreign nationals in California for fraudulent voter registration and voting. These arrests support the claim that noncitizens are indeed voting, though officials state the goal is ballot segregation, not mass arrests. Newsom and state officials dispute the scale of the issue, viewing federal intervention as voter suppression. The federal judge overseeing the case was transferred from a Trump appointee to a Clinton appointee.