ICE Won’t Be at Polling Places for Midterms
A senior official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has assured state election administrators that ICE agents will not be stationed at polling places during the November 2026 midterm elections, a reassurance aimed at quelling mounting concerns over potential intimidation at the ballot box.
“A Donald Trump appointee at the Department of Homeland Security told state election officials from around the country Wednesday that federal immigration agents won’t be deployed to polling places during the 2026 midterms, according to multiple sources on the call,” according to CNN News.
The comments were made on February 25 during a virtual briefing convened by federal agencies, including DHS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, with secretaries of state and other top election officials from around the country. On that call, Heather Honey, deputy assistant secretary for election integrity at DHS, was asked to address fears that immigration enforcement might be used to interfere with election administration.
Honey told the officials that “any suggestion that ICE is going to be present at polling places is simply disinformation” and that there are no plans for ICE agents to be at voting sites during the midterms. Several secretaries of state, including Arizona Democrat Adrian Fontes and Oregon Democrat Tobias Read, confirmed the pledge. Republican Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams also posted the DHS message on social media. “”We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November,” said former Trump adviser Steve Bannon on his podcast earlier this month. “We’re not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again,” according to NPR News.
Courtesy of Terry Chay (Flickr CC0)The assurance comes amid heightened political tension over election integrity and federal involvement. Some election officials and Democrats had expressed alarm in recent weeks after immigration enforcement activity increased in parts of the country, particularly in Minneapolis and other cities, leading to speculation that agents could be deployed around polls, potentially deterring voters.
Despite Honey’s guarantee, several officials on the call expressed skepticism about the pledge, with at least one source saying, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Some also raised broader concerns over DHS’s role in elections given Honey’s prior work with election audit firms that promoted disputed claims about the 2020 presidential race.
DHS clarified that while ICE does not intend to target polling locations, if a serious public safety threat were to arise, immigration officers might respond to a specific situation.
The U.S. Constitution delegates the administration of elections to the states, and most election officials welcomed the clarification, though trust in federal assurances remains uneven as political debates over election oversight and immigration policy continue ahead of the midterms.
Sources:
CNN News: ICE won’t be at polling places for midterms, Trump appointee tells state election officials
NPR News: ICE won’t be at polling places this year, a Trump DHS official promises
Featured Image Courtesy of Chad Davis‘ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Terry Chay’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
