Mullin Says ICE May Deploy to Polling Places

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced on September 1 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents may deploy to polling places during the November midterm elections. Speaking in New York City, Mullin stated that such deployments would occur only to address specific threats or to serve warrants on individuals being actively tracked, denying that agents would be used to patrol sites or intimidate voters.

The Department of Homeland Security clarified that ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations but will conduct intelligence-driven enforcement if a public safety threat endangers a site. The agency also stated it is focused on prosecuting non-citizens who vote to prevent the dilution of U.S. citizen votes, with Mullin previously noting the government would scrub election records for ineligible voters.

Democratic officials and the Brennan Center for Justice warned that the presence of federal agents at polls could violate federal law and intimidate voters. The Brennan Center asserted that sending armed federal agents to polling locations is illegal because federal law bans federal officers from interfering in elections.