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Posted on 07/08/2026 11:41:52 AM PDT by DFG
PENSACOLA, Fla. — A federal judge in Florida on Tuesday ordered the Department of Homeland Security to restore key features of its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system, including SSN-search and bulk-upload capabilities that states use to verify citizenship and immigration status for voter rolls.
U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II ruled that DHS breached a court-approved settlement agreement with Florida and other states by disabling the features following a conflicting decision from a judge in Washington, D.C. Wetherell expressly disagreed with that ruling, concluding the features do not violate federal law.
In June, U.S. District Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan in the District of Columbia vacated the SAVE modifications, finding they violated the Social Security Act and Privacy Act by improperly aggregating and using Americans’ personal data, including Social Security numbers. DHS complied by disabling the features, prompting the emergency motion from the states.
Wetherell, who approved the November 2025 settlement and retained jurisdiction to enforce it, held that DHS must restore the capabilities required under the agreement. The settlement stemmed from a lawsuit by Florida and later-added states alleging the SAVE system was inadequate for verifying immigration status as required by federal law.
“Defendants are plainly in violation of the settlement agreement,” Wetherell wrote, noting the features had been operational from December 2025 until June. He rejected arguments that compliance with the D.C. order excused the breach, stating his court had implicitly determined the modifications were lawful when approving the deal.
The judge also addressed the legal disputes directly, concluding the SSN-search functions align with 8 U.S.C. §1373, which overrides other restrictions on sharing citizenship or immigration status information, and fall within Privacy Act exceptions for routine uses.
States argued the disabled features have caused immediate harm, including Florida and Ohio’s inability to verify voter citizenship and Iowa’s challenges with professional licensing. Wetherell declined to defer to the D.C. proceedings, citing ongoing harm to the plaintiffs and principles of comity.
The SAVE system, long used to verify immigration status for federal benefits, was enhanced under the Trump administration to better support state election integrity efforts, including voter roll maintenance.
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Interesting. This sounds like a good decision for trump, isn’t it? Or am I misreading it?
We should start using the judiciary the opposite way of how the liberals do -order him to deport illegals... and follow other laws.
Use the Democrats tactic of “repeal to a third (new) position”
This is a win!
It’s so confusing. These district judges keep issuing contradictory orders.
Wetherell is a winner.
GOP is learning to do like democrats. Friendly GOP state sue the DOJ or federal gov’t in a friendly court. Then offer to settle on what the GOP really wants, now you have a legally binding court order. Which will conflict with the liberal judges making up crap in lefty states.
So it allows Trump to follow the friendly order and force it to SCOTUS quicker for resolution.
We’ve been lately cursed with a rogue and arbitrary judiciary. There’s no oversight or boundaries for them. Whatsoever.
Sooknanan, Sparkle Leah
Born 1983 in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Nominated by Joseph R. Biden on February 27, 2024, to a seat vacated by Florence Y. Pan. Confirmed by the Senate on December 3, 2024, and commission issued on January 2, 2025.
Education:
St. Francis College, B.S., 2002
Hofstra University, M.B.A., 2003
Brooklyn Law School, J.D., 2010
Professional Career:
Law clerk, Hon. Eric N. Vitaliano, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 2010-2011
Law clerk, Hon. Guido Calabresi, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2011-2012
Attorney, appellate staff, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 2012-2013
Law clerk, Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court of the United States, 2013-2014
Private practice, Washington, D.C., 2014-2021
Deputy associate attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice, 2021-2023
Principal deputy assistant attorney general, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 2023-2024
Why was Trump’s DHS DISABLING a voter verification system? It sounds like the exact opposite of what Trump has been calling for.
“Why was Trump’s DHS DISABLING a voter verification system?”
In the OP.
Put an immediate end to all foreign born judges. Now !
Excellent summary.
Judgette Sparkle will not be happy.
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