DOJ Demands Los Angeles County Verify Citizenship of Ballot Recipients Using Unverified USB Drive The Department of Justice has requested that Los Angeles County officials analyze an unverified USB drive containing names of individuals it claims are non‑citizens who received mail ballots, threatening legal action if the county does not act within 48 hours. County officials have declined to open the drive, citing security and privacy concerns. The demand arrives amid broader legal challenges and legislative efforts to purge suspected non‑citizen voters before the 2026 midterms. The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently delivered an unsolicited USB thumb drive to officials in Los Angeles County and to California's Secretary of State. According to the DOJ, the drive allegedly contains a list of individuals who the agency believes are likely non‑citizens and who received mail ballots for the upcoming midterm elections. The DOJ's correspondence includes a set of demands: California authorities must verify the citizenship of every person on the list, and if a voter's status cannot be confirmed, the county must either set aside that ballot or, if it has not yet been mailed, withhold it entirely. The agency threatens a lawsuit if these steps are not completed within 48 hours, stating that failure to comply would leave the United States with no choice but to seek emergency relief.Officials Refuse To Open DOJ DriveLos Angeles County officials, however, have not opened the drive. Dean Logan, the county's Registrar-Recorder and Clerk, has publicly stated that the device was not accessed because doing so would violate established data privacy and security protocols. Logan also noted that the DOJ letter did not specify how many individuals were included or provide details about the data contained in the records.He added that removal of a voter from eligibility should be based on verifiable evidence rather than unconfirmed claims. The DOJ's push comes amid broader legal challenges. A federal judge in Washington, DC, recently ruled that the DOJ could not use voter rolls from 18 states that had voluntarily provided them, citing concerns over the legality of the program's data handling. The ruling also warned that the DOJ's program could expose officials to criminal liability.Meanwhile, homeland security officials have publicly asserted that hundreds of thousands of non‑citizens are registered to vote in states such as California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, though these claims have been challenged by election experts. The timing of the DOJ's demand has prompted criticism that the agency is violating federal statutes that prohibit systematic removal of voters within 90 days of a federal election.Partisan Claims Fuel Voter Purge DebateRepublican lawmakers, including former President Trump's administration, have sought loopholes that would allow purges of alleged non‑citizens. Critics argue that these actions are aimed at disadvantaging Democratic voters and are part of a broader strategy to influence the 2026 midterms. Overall, the incident illustrates the tension between federal agencies attempting to enforce voter eligibility and the legal safeguards designed to protect the integrity of the electoral process.Until the DOJ's allegations are proven and the information on the thumb drive is verified, California and Los Angeles County officials remain cautious about proceeding with the requested actions.