# Justice Department gives California 48 hours to review alleged noncitizen voters

Date: 2026

A Justice Department letter dated 13 October 2026 gave California election officials 48 hours to review a federal list of people described as likely noncitizens who had been sent mail ballots in Los Angeles County. Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter told Secretary of State [Shirley Weber](/people/shirley-weber) that ballots should be withheld or segregated until citizenship was verified and warned that the federal government could seek emergency relief. The department said it was enforcing the federal ban on noncitizen voting. Reporting said the list's size and methodology were not publicly explained, leaving the reliability of the specific matches unresolved.

## Sources

- https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/world/2026-10-14-us-justice-department-threatens-california-over-noncitizen-voters-letter-shows/
- https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-administration-threatens-to-sue-california-over-alleged-noncitizens-on-rolls/

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/doj-california-noncitizen-voter-ultimatum-2026-10-13