DHS asks Supreme Court to reinstate overhauled immigration tool for midterms

The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to restore an overhauled Department of Homeland Security immigration verification system in time for the midterm elections. The filing seeks emergency relief to put the system back in place before voters head to the polls. Solicitor General D. John Sauer framed the lower-court action as a direct threat to election integrity, saying a district court had issued an "indefensible order that threatens the integrity of upcoming elections." The Justice Department urged the high court to intervene and reverse that ruling. The technology at issue is DHS’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE), an agency-run immigration verification system that was recently revised. The administration’s filing asked the Supreme Court to permit the overhauled SAVE program to operate while litigation continues. By asking for rapid reinstatement, the government signaled the outcome could have immediate implications for election administration during the midterms. The Supreme Court will now decide whether to act on the administration’s request for emergency relief.