<p>The Trump administration has stated that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will not be deployed to polling sites in the United States to arrest individuals for immigration violations during the 2026 midterm elections, according to Tom Homan, a senior administration official.</p>
<p>On Sunday, Homan clarified that ICE will not be present at voting locations for the purpose of detaining undocumented individuals. His comments follow various claims from Democratic politicians and mixed messaging from Republican officials regarding the issue.</p>
<p>“I want to put that to bed. There is no plan to sweep polling places looking for illegal aliens,” Homan told Fox News’s The Sunday Briefing co-host Jacqui Heinrich. “I have not seen any operational plans or any discussions on any immigration enforcement operation at polling places. This is another fear tactic, another attack on ICE and this administration.”</p>
<p>Homan’s statement comes amid increasing pressure from Democratic-led cities and progressive organizations to ensure that ICE personnel do not appear at polling locations this fall. Recently, Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE in federal district court in Washington, D.C., on behalf of several organizations, including the League of United Latin American Citizens and Common Cause.</p>
<p>“The specter of armed officers at polling places threatens the freedom of this upcoming election,” their lawsuit stated. “It places voters in fear that they will be confronted by armed federal law enforcement if they choose to cast a ballot.”</p>
<p>Democratic state parties announced plans to recruit and deploy 10,000 volunteers to monitor polling places in case ICE appears.</p>
<p>The groups have referred to statements from other Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, indicating that while ICE would not be present to patrol polling sites, it could still be there for other reasons.</p>
<p>“The only reason why we would be at polling places is if there is a threat to that polling place or we’re serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down,” Mullin said during a press conference in New York City on September 1. “ICE’s job is immigration, customs enforcement. … If we’re serving a warrant, we will be where we need to be.”</p>
<p>Some conservatives, including former Trump campaign aide Steve Bannon, have advocated for ICE to monitor polling locations.</p>
<p>Under federal law, noncitizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections, including House and Senate races.</p>
<p>Additionally, elected officials are restricted from deploying “any troops or armed men [to] any place where a general or special election is held,” unless necessary to protect against “armed enemies of the United States.”</p>
<p>Homan characterized the concerns raised by Democrats regarding election security as misplaced.</p>
<p>“I mean, they don’t want ICE near the polling places. They don’t want to vote for voter ID. They don’t want observers. What have they got to hide to begin with, right?” Homan said. “There is no plan for enforcement action at polling places. It’s just another attempt to smear ICE, to smear the president.”</p>