Homeland Security officials making an arrest in Kansas City.
She stayed the ruling until 5 pm on Friday, which will give the government a chance to seek an appeal.
In her ruling, US District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin ordered federal immigration authorities to stop carrying out “elections-related field operations and field interviews” in nine states, including California and New York, if the operations are likely to involve people who government officials “know, suspect, or should reasonably know or suspect are US citizens. A federal judge has now ruled that Department of Homeland Security officials can’t knock on people’s doors to ask about their immigration status and whether they have voted in the recent elections, as the action likely violated the Voting Rights Act. The department posted photos and videos of agents carrying out the operation to find out illegitimate voters. Her order will remain in effect until polls close on Election Day.
The department added that they have “no plans to question or investigate people we believe to be US citizens.” Homeland Security said in a statement on Thursday that the department is “laser focused on identifying, prosecuting, and removing aliens who vote and dilute the votes of US citizens.