Federal Immigration Agents Will Not Be Present at Polling Places, DHS Official Confirms

Immigration Officials Won’t Be at Polls, DHS Official Assures Election Administrators

A Department of Homeland Security official has assured state election administrators that immigration agents will not be stationed at polling locations during November’s midterm elections, addressing one of Democrats’ primary concerns about potential federal interference in the electoral process.

During a multi-agency coordination call Wednesday, Heather Honey, deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, explicitly stated that “any suggestion that ICE will be present at any polling location is simply not true,” according to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat.

This assurance was confirmed by a spokeswoman for Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read, while Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican, also posted on X that the promise came from “DHS.”

The statement came during what would normally be a routine election preparation call featuring representatives from the FBI, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Postal Service and other federal agencies. However, tensions have been heightened this election cycle due to several controversial moves by the Trump administration that have raised concerns among Democratic state officials.

Honey’s presence on the call itself raised eyebrows among some participants. Critics have identified her as an election conspiracy theorist who has supported false claims that President Trump did not lose the 2020 election. Her involvement underscores the unusual position many election officials find themselves in this cycle.

The U.S. Constitution designates that states, not the federal government, run elections, with most states vesting that power in the elected office of secretary of state. This traditional separation of powers has come under scrutiny as the administration has taken several actions that have alarmed election officials.

Among these concerns is the Department of Justice filing lawsuits to obtain detailed voter data without clear explanation of its purpose. President Trump has also continued to promote false claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 election while urging his administration to investigate.

Adding to these tensions, the FBI recently conducted a raid on an election office in Fulton County, Georgia – a Democratic stronghold that includes Atlanta – seizing ballots and other voting records from 2020, reportedly based on long-debunked election conspiracy theories.

Democratic officials and public interest lawyers across the country have been strategizing for months about how to respond to possible interference in both the voting process and ballot counting during the midterms.

During the call, Democratic secretaries of state reportedly questioned Honey about several administration actions, including cuts to election security funding and campaigns targeting noncitizen voting – something that is already illegal and rarely occurs. They also expressed concerns about federal law enforcement officers potentially appearing at polling places in November.

The White House has previously dismissed these fears, pointing out that there was no disruption during last year’s election, when Democrats performed well. At a recent congressional hearing, the heads of both U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection testified that they are not involved in any efforts to guard voting precincts.

Democrats, however, remain wary, noting that President Trump attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss, pardoned individuals who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and has appointed numerous officials who assisted in his efforts to challenge the 2020 results.

The tension between federal authorities and state election officials highlights the heightened stakes and polarized environment surrounding this year’s midterm elections, with both parties closely monitoring any potential interference or irregularities in the electoral process.