*Days before the Nov. 3 election, Stateline estimates that slower naturalization has kept about 380,000 immigrants from becoming citizens and voters. Courts in California turned back two federal moves, one over ballots and one over street stops.*

## Citizenship delays hold back potential voters

**Slower naturalization over the past year has held back about 380,000 immigrants who might have become citizens — and voters — had approvals kept their earlier pace, [Stateline estimates](https://stateline.org/2026/10/29/trump-administration-has-slow-walked-380000-potential-immigrant-voters/).** USCIS approved about 55,000 citizenship requests between April and June, down from more than 230,000 in the same period last year, as the agency added social-media screening and tougher English and civics requirements. A USCIS spokesperson told the outlet that “naturalization is a privilege, not a right.” [Stateline]

## California ballot push loses on appeal; criminal probe opens

**A divided 9th Circuit panel [denied the Justice Department’s request to block California from counting mail ballots](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/trump-administration-loses-push-block-california-votes-alleged-nonciti-rcna605835) from more than 20,000 voters it alleges are likely noncitizens, saying DOJ had not given the trial judge a fair chance to rule first.** That judge, David O. Carter, then [refused to order the ballots set aside](https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/trump-ballot-claims-california-ruling/), citing “a broad, ongoing pattern of attempted election interference.” Federal authorities have since [opened a criminal investigation and subpoenaed local election officials](https://efe.com/mundo/2026-10-30/eeuu-california-ciudadanos-investigacion/) over alleged noncitizen voting, citing reporting by The New York Times. [NBC News, CalMatters, EFE]

## Krome detainees begin hunger strike

**At least 20 people held at Miami’s Krome detention center have stopped eating to demand reviews of their cases, [Univision reports](https://www.univision.com/noticias/inmigracion/al-menos-20-detenidos-en-el-centro-krome-de-miami-se-van-a-huelga-de-hambre-para-exigir-la-revision-de-sus-casos-mientras-las-familias-temen-deportaciones-a-africa).** In a video call, detainees described going without insulin, spoiled food and mistreatment by guards, while wives of two Cuban detainees said they fear their husbands will be deported to Africa. [Univision]

## DHS moves to take down leaked staff data

**DHS, through the cybersecurity firm ZeroFox, [asked the Icelandic host FlokiNET to remove a site listing tens of thousands of its employees](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/29/trump-administration-attempts-to-take-down-leak-of-ice-personnel-data), including ICE and CBP staff.** FlokiNET refused, but the site’s registrar suspended the domain and the data moved to a new address. The request is part of a [broader DHS push against the Icepick leak](https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/dhs-strikes-back-targeting-icepick-leaks-a-33249) of about 41,000 personnel records. [Al Jazeera, BankInfoSecurity]

## Indiana detainees sue over solitary and medical care

**Three people held at Indiana’s Miami Correctional Facility, the “Speedway Slammer,” [sued Thursday, alleging weeks of solitary confinement and a “dangerous medical crisis”](https://apnews.com/article/indiana-ice-detention-lawsuit-speedway-slammer-027d1baba4c5690a35b9aab7226289a3).** The 72-page complaint, filed by the ACLU and partners in federal court, [describes nine weeks in solitary, a sewage-flooded cell and racial slurs](https://www.indystar.com/story/news/investigations/2026/10/29/lawsuit-rampant-abuses-of-ice-detainees-in-indiana-prison-miami-correctional-immigration/92479585007/), and will seek class-action status. Two detainees have died at the state prison this year. [Associated Press, IndyStar]

## Pregnant migrant youth still sent to South Texas

**The administration is [still placing pregnant unaccompanied girls in South Texas shelters](https://laist.com/news/politics/news-pregnant-migrant-children-south-texas-orr-california-congress-chu-cisneros-castro), where specialized obstetric care is scarce, despite objections from California members of Congress.** Records show [at least four had to be transferred out of state for medical care since July 2025](https://www.tpr.org/border-immigration/2026-10-29/despite-widespread-concern-pregnant-migrant-youth-are-still-being-sent-to-south-texas), including at least one abortion; HHS says its placements follow child-welfare best practices. [LAist, Texas Public Radio]

## Judge bars race-based immigration stops in Southern California

**U.S. District Judge Maame Frimpong [barred immigration agents across Southern California from stopping people because they appear Latino or Latino and working class](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-10-29/federal-judge-blocks-racial-profiling-stops), requiring individualized reasonable suspicion; the administration is appealing.** The preliminary injunction [covers seven counties, exempts ports of entry and checkpoints, and partly certifies a class](https://www.dailynews.com/2026/10/29/la-judge-blocks-suspicion-free-discriminatory-immigration-stops-ruling-emerges-from-pasadena-case/) in a case that began with a 2025 Pasadena incident. The ACLU of Southern California, which represents plaintiffs, [says it will monitor compliance](https://ufw.org/federal-court-blocks-unlawful-suspicionless-racially-discriminatory-immigration-stops-in-southern-california/). [Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, United Farm Workers]

## Around the system

- **The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee launched a national portal** for travelers to [report CBP seizures of phones and laptops at airports and borders](https://adc.org/adc-launches-national-reporting-portal-to-document-cbp-seizures-of-electronic-devices-at-u-s-airports-and-borders/). [American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee]

- **DHS says ICE arrested 4,170 people** in its [10-day “Lone Star Mission” across Texas](https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/10/29/secretary-mullin-highlights-success-ices-lone-star-mission-texas-arresting-over). [Department of Homeland Security]

- **Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is questioning state rules** that [deny driver’s licenses to immigrants with federal work permits](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/tennessee-gov-lee-questions-state-rules-denying-licenses-immigrants-legally-able-work-us), saying he had “just become aware” of them. [News From The States]

- **The family of a Guatemalan man who died at Otay Mesa** says [ICE misidentified him and disputes the agency’s account of his criminal history](https://www.kpbs.org/news/racial-justice-social-equity/2026/10/28/family-of-man-who-died-at-otay-mesa-detention-center-says-ice-misidentified-him-refute-criminal-history). [KPBS]

- **The Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio board voted 8-2** to [keep its ICE contract](https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/lucas-county-sheriff-joins-county-commissioner-backs-motion-to-end-ccnos-ice-contract-for-1st-time-but-board-rejects-it/512-4fa10c87-16e8-4189-ae4c-dbee19f40b0d), even as Lucas County’s sheriff backed ending it for the first time. [WTOL]

- **Northwestern international students are seeking answers** after the university [stopped approving most Curricular Practical Training requests](https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/10/28/el-diario/mientras-nu-navega-cambios-al-cpt-estudiantes-internacionales-buscan-respuestas/). [The Daily Northwestern]

- **ProPublica published a searchable list** of [more than 500 cases of U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents](https://projects.propublica.org/american-citizens-detained-dhs-civil-rights/list). [ProPublica]

- **A new ILRC brief examines Houston police reports** [coded “immigration inquiry”](https://www.ilrc.org/community-resources/danger-road) in 2025 and trends into 2026. [Immigrant Legal Resource Center]

- **Sens. Angus King and Mike Rounds are calling for the maximum H-2B visas** to [ease seasonal worker shortages](https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-rounds-call-for-maximum-h-2b-work-visas-to-alleviate-seasonal-worker-shortages). [U.S. Senate]

- **A union challenge to government monitoring of immigrants’ social media** [faces an uncertain path after the death of Judge Alvin Hellerstein](https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2026/1029/uaw-trump-immigrants-social-media-hellerstein?icid=rss), who had let the case proceed. [The Christian Science Monitor]