Federal Immigration Agents Won’t Monitor Polling Sites, DHS Official Assures States

A Department of Homeland Security official assured state election administrators that immigration enforcement officers will not be present at voting locations during November's midterm elections. The pledge comes amid Democratic concerns about potential federal interference in the electoral process under the Trump administration.

DENVER (AP) — State election officials received assurance Wednesday from a federal homeland security administrator that immigration enforcement personnel will stay away from voting sites during the upcoming November midterm elections, addressing concerns raised by Democratic leaders about potential federal interference.

During a conference call with state secretaries of state, Heather Honey, who holds the position of deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, stated that “any suggestion that ICE will be present at any polling location is simply not true,” as reported by Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat.

The commitment was also confirmed by a representative for Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read, while Kentucky’s Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams shared the assurance on social media platform X, crediting “DHS” as the source.

The Department of Homeland Security has not provided a response to requests for additional comment.

Honey, who has previously supported unfounded theories claiming President Donald Trump was wrongfully denied victory in the 2020 election, participated in the discussion alongside officials from the FBI, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Postal Service and additional federal departments to coordinate midterm election preparations.

While such coordination meetings typically occur without controversy, this year’s session takes place against a backdrop of actions by the Trump administration that have raised alarm among Democratic state election leaders.

The Justice Department has initiated legal proceedings seeking comprehensive voter information from states without providing clear justification for these data requests. Meanwhile, Trump continues to promote debunked allegations about widespread electoral fraud in 2020 while directing his administration to pursue investigations.

Federal investigators conducted a raid earlier this month at the Fulton County, Georgia election office, a Democratic-leaning area encompassing Atlanta, to confiscate voting materials and ballots from the 2020 election, based on thoroughly discredited conspiracy theories.

For months, Democratic officials and civil rights attorneys nationwide have been developing response strategies to address potential Trump administration interference in midterm voting procedures and vote tallying processes.

The participation of Honey in the call highlighted the changed landscape facing election administrators. Under the U.S. Constitution, individual states rather than federal authorities maintain responsibility for conducting elections, with most states delegating this authority to elected secretaries of state.

Call participants reported that Democratic secretaries of state questioned Honey extensively about the Trump administration’s reduction of election security funding, its initiative to identify non-citizen voters — an already prohibited practice that occurs infrequently — and concerns about federal law enforcement presence at polling locations this fall.

The White House has previously dismissed these concerns, pointing to the absence of disruptions during last year’s elections when Democrats achieved strong results. During recent congressional testimony, leadership from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection both responded “No, sir” when questioned about involvement in voting precinct security efforts.

Democratic leaders emphasize that Trump previously attempted to reverse his 2020 electoral defeat, issued pardons to individuals who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in his support, and has appointed administration officials who assisted his efforts to challenge the 2020 results.