DHS Pledges No ICE Presence at 2026 Polling Locations
Department of Homeland Security official Heather Honey assured state election leaders that ICE agents will not patrol polling places during the 2026 midterm elections.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on February 25, 2026, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will not be stationed at polling locations during the November 3 midterm elections. During a coordination call with state secretaries and representatives from the FBI, DOJ, and U.S. Postal Service, DHS official Heather Honey characterized suggestions of an ICE presence as disinformation. DHS later clarified that law enforcement agents may still respond to polling sites if addressing an active public safety threat.
These assurances follow contradictory claims from the Trump administration's orbit. Former adviser Steve Bannon publicly advocated for ICE to surround polls, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated she could not guarantee the complete absence of ICE agents, though she denied the existence of formal plans for such deployments. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott also denied involvement in patrolling voting sites.
Democratic state officials expressed significant skepticism during the briefing. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes questioned Honey's credibility, citing her previous work with the Cyber Ninjas audit. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows stated she remained un-reassured regarding federal interference in state sovereignty and criticized the administration's push for states to use the SAVE immigration data system. Officials further noted that federal representatives remained silent when asked to publicly affirm that states, rather than the federal government, are in charge of elections.
