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UpdateNationalThursday, October 29, 2026

Appeals court signals skepticism of DHS immigration enforcement surge

A federal appeals panel indicated it is unlikely to allow the Department of Homeland Security to resume a crackdown on alleged illegal voting.

Reporting by
Election Law Blog (Rick Hasen)
““‘Why do you need this?’: Appeals court skeptical of pre-election ICE enforcement surge””, Thursday, October 29, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

A federal appeals court panel signaled Thursday that it is unlikely to let the Department of Homeland Security resume a crackdown on alleged illegal voting. Civic groups have called the campaign a thinly veiled strategy to intimidate naturalized citizens ahead of the election.1

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Federal judge warned that segregating votes based on unproven claims harms democracy
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National · Oct 28
DOJ claimed over 400 noncitizens voted in Washington, ordered ballots set aside
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The answers behind this
Claims you will hear this fallCan noncitizens vote?Can a president use a national emergency to take over elections?

Explore this issue

OverviewUpdates In depthTexas county party chair suing to block certification seeks hand count In depthRepublicans sued to block certification of Texas midterm results In depthJustice Department charged 18 more people in North Carolina for illegal voting In depthNorth Carolina appeals court heard arguments on 2018 voter ID amendment In depthCuyahoga County announced 66 polling place changes for November 2026 In depthNAACP challenged North Carolina voter ID law in state appeals court In depthAlabama voters received reminders ahead of 2026 general election In depthDOJ official denies plan to deploy 1,000 monitors differs from past practice In depthIowa Secretary of State said 2026 election will be secure In depthNearly 90% of absentee ballots in Iowa had been returned by late October In depthIowa law gives workers up to two hours off to vote with approval In depthDOJ official said 1,000 election monitors will be deployed for midterms

Sources

  1. Election Law Blog (Rick Hasen), https://electionlawblog.org/2026/why-do-you-need-this-appeals-court-skeptical-of-pre-election-ice-enforcement-surge · Thursday, October 29, 2026

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