Will ICE agents play a role in the 2026 US midterm elections?

Since returning to bureau for a 2nd term, United States President Donald Trump has embarked connected a run to basal retired and deport the country’s undocumented immigrants.

Spearheading that run is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a national bureau housed successful the Department of Homeland Security.

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Under Trump, the bureau has grown substantially, boasting 22,000 officers and agents arsenic of January, a staffing summation of 120 percent.

Thanks to caller spending packages, ICE is besides considered the best-funded national instrumentality enforcement bureau successful the US.

But the agency, founded successful 2003, has travel nether accrued scrutiny for its assertive tactics and expedited hiring techniques.

Immigration agents, nether the authorization of ICE and different agencies, person been liable for astatine slightest 25 shootings since the commencement of Trump’s 2nd term, six of which person been fatal. At slightest 60 radical person besides died successful ICE custody since January 2025.

That way grounds has made ideology advocates and quality rights groups disquieted astir ICE’s activities successful the lead-up to the November 3 midterm elections.

Organisations similar Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) person voiced interest that the Trump medication could usage ICE to intimidate voters.

The menace of encountering ICE agents could besides support immoderate voters distant from the ballot box, the groups say. One nationalist poll, conducted successful September by the University of California, San Diego, recovered that 40 percent of respondents expected ICE agents to beryllium contiguous adjacent polling stations connected predetermination day.

Can ICE agents legally run astatine oregon adjacent polling stations?

Federal instrumentality prohibits the usage of equipped national agents astatine polling stations. Some states person akin provisions.

The national prohibition dates backmost to 1865. The instrumentality reads that it is amerciable for anyone “engaged successful the civil, subject oregon naval work of the United States” to bid oregon bring “any troops oregon equipped men” to predetermination sites.

There is, however, a loophole if specified unit is needed “to support bid astatine the polls” oregon “to repel equipped enemies of the United States”.

Another national instrumentality prohibits members of the subject from interfering with elections, and respective different laws prohibit efforts to “intimidate” voters.

Those measures person been tested this year. During the superior elections for the midterms, determination were astatine slightest 2 incidents – 1 successful San Antonio, Texas, and different successful Ventura County, California – wherever ICE agents reportedly conducted regular operations adjacent polling stations.

In some cases, the ICE agents near aft being asked to bash truthful by section police.

How has the Trump medication utilized ICE agents earlier the election?

Though determination are prohibitions against instrumentality enforcement adjacent polling stations, advocacy groups accidental the Trump medication has nevertheless utilized ICE agents for election-related matters.

ICE has antithetic offices nether its control, 1 of which is Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

In the months starring up to this year’s midterm elections, HSI has reportedly been ordered to prioritise its investigations of non-citizen voting, an amerciable act. Only US citizens are allowed to ballot successful national elections.

Starting successful August, the Department of Homeland Security deployed HSI agents for “field investigations” successful astatine slightest 9 states to probe questions of elector eligibility.

Some person reportedly gone doorway to door, asking residents if they are citizens and if they program to vote.

This week, a national justice ordered the Department of Homeland Security to intermission those investigations, citing the hazard that a US national could beryllium “wrongly swept up” and “subjected to intimidation”.

The justice besides noted a “high likelihood of error” successful however the national agents were identifying alleged non-citizens.

Trump has pointed to non-citizen voting arsenic enactment for his mendacious claims of pervasive elector fraud.

Experts, though, accidental specified fears are unfounded, with tiny numbers of non-citizens really taking portion successful elections, contempt Trump’s depictions of the contented arsenic a wide problem.

What has the Trump medication said astir deploying ICE during the midterms?

Trump officials person refused to regularisation retired utilizing ICE agents to halt amerciable voting, an effort that could widen to predetermination time itself.

In May, Trump was asked by reporters: “For the midterm elections, would you nonstop the National Guard oregon ICE to voting locations successful November?”

Trump declined to reply directly. “I’d bash thing indispensable to marque definite we person honorable elections. We person to person honorable elections,” helium replied.

Other leaders successful his medication person issued akin statements. In September, for instance, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin affirmed that ICE would not “patrol” polling stations, but helium suggested its agents could beryllium determination for different reasons.

“The lone crushed wherefore we would beryllium astatine polling places is if determination is simply a menace to that polling spot oregon we’re serving a warrant connected idiosyncratic that we person been actively tracking down,” Mullin said.

Another subordinate of Trump’s cabinet, Attorney General Todd Blanche, has questioned the uproar implicit the issue, framing it arsenic misguided.

“Why is determination an objection to sending ICE to polling stations?” helium asked successful March astatine a blimpish conference. “Illegals can’t vote. It doesn’t marque immoderate sense.”

What has been the effect from advocacy groups?

The Trump administration’s rhetoric has raised alarm with a fig of rights groups, who fearfulness an ICE beingness connected predetermination time could dampen elector turnout.

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch called connected the Trump medication to bid ICE agents not to deploy adjacent polling stations oregon different midterm predetermination sites.

“ICE officers’ abuses person already earnestly affected US citizens who person been stopped, beaten, detained, deported and adjacent killed,” said Philippe Bolopion, the enforcement manager astatine Human Rights Watch. “Voters should not person to fearfulness being caught successful an ICE dragnet erstwhile they caput to the polls.”

On October 16, the rights radical Amnesty International issued a akin appeal.

“Eligible voters indispensable person the meaningful accidental to enactment successful elections without discriminatory and arbitrary barriers, intimidation by equipped forces, oregon fearfulness of harm erstwhile seeking to workout their rights,” the radical said.