Claim Checkelectionsstates
Judge: DOJ's 20,000 Noncitizen List Too Vague To Trust
A federal prosecutor said 20,000 noncitizens got California mail ballots, and called that the floor. The Supreme Court declined to step in.
- L0 The Line
The ClaimMisleading
Bill Essayli: "We're not asking California to take any drastic steps other than to sequester the ballots from the suspected noncitizens … We believe it's at a minimum of 20,000. That's the floor."
Bill Essayli on foxnews.com, Interview with Fox News Digital, October 21, 2026 · Original
The TruthA federal judge ruled that DOJ offered no credible evidence that the 20,000 are noncitizens. A similar DHS list in Nevada shrank to 185 names, and all 185 were citizens.
The Text"Given the vagueness of Plaintiff's descriptions of its procedures and the unreliability of its similar claims in other states, the Court cannot conclude that Plaintiff's process is credible."
Source: United States v. California, No. 2:26-cv-12025-DOC-ADS, Order Denying Temporary Restraining Order (Dkt. 149), page 22. Retrieved 2026-11-03.