Jakarta Aktual – 23 June 2026 | A federal judge has blocked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from using a recently revamped version of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to check voter eligibility, citing concerns over privacy rights and potential voter purges. The decision is a significant setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to exert more federal control over elections.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had overhauled the SAVE system in 2025, making it easier for states to check their voter rolls against the federal database, which includes individuals’ citizenship status and Social Security numbers. However, election officials have found that the modified database is prone to error, and Judge Sparkle Sooknanan referenced this in her decision, stating that federal officials had ‘haphazardly combined and repurposed the private information of millions of Americans, including citizenship data that they knew to be unreliable.’
The ruling could strengthen challenges by voters who were removed, flagged, or placed under review by the system. The case was filed by the League of Women Voters and other groups, who argued that the SAVE system was inaccurate and that using it to check voter rolls violated citizen privacy rights. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s use of the SAVE system has been a key pillar of the Trump administration’s efforts to nationalize elections and crack down on noncitizens on state voter rolls.
In a separate development, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget has finished its review of a rule that would end the duration of status regulation, which allows international students to stay in the U.S. until they finish their degree. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security can finalize the change any day now, which would require international students to request an extension to stay in the country for more than four years. The proposed rule has been criticized by international education leaders, who argue that it would further discourage international students from studying in the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s plans to end the duration of status regulation have been met with opposition from colleges and universities, who would likely have to hire staff to help students file requests for extensions. The department has argued that international students typically earn their bachelor’s degrees within four years of entering the country, and that 79 percent of international students are enrolled in either a two-year master’s or a four-year bachelor’s program.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to exert more control over elections and immigration policies have been met with resistance from advocacy groups and federal judges. The department’s use of the SAVE system to check voter eligibility has been blocked, and its plans to end the duration of status regulation have been criticized by international education leaders. As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues to push for stricter immigration policies, it is likely to face further challenges in the courts and from advocacy groups.
