Civil rights groups sue to stop Trump voter investigation

Civil rights groups sued the Trump administration in federal court in California to stop its effort to investigate possible noncitizen voting.

The administration launched the Unlawful Voter Initiative in August, directing immigration officials to identify people who may have voted without being US citizens.

The groups say investigations are targeting naturalized citizens and could lead to eligible voters losing their ballots; the administration has not immediately commented on the lawsuit.

Trump has repeatedly said noncitizen voting is widespread, but that claim has been widely debunked.

The administration has issued more than 100 subpoenas for voter records in at least a dozen states, while federal prosecutors have brought more than 100 cases over alleged noncitizen voting.

A federal judge has limited the initiative in nine states, but those restrictions expire after Election Day on November 3.

The lawsuit asks the court to cancel the initiative and require the government to destroy records gathered through it.