DHS secretary says ICE will not patrol polls but could enter for threats or warrants
NEW · Tue. midday EDT
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters in New York that ICE “isn’t there to patrol the polling places” but could be present if there is a threat to a site or to serve a warrant on someone agents are actively tracking. A senior DHS official told NBC News that ICE officers have not received guidance to do anything beyond regular duties on Election Day. Democrats and voting-rights groups warn that federal agents at polls could intimidate voters; Mullin and DHS say any presence would be limited to specific threats or warrant service, not election patrols.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection file photograph; not from a polling place.
Gerald L. Nino / CBP
Center-left view
NBC, Guardian, and POLITICO frame Mullin’s comments as leaving the door open to ICE at polling places, with Democrats and advocates citing voter-intimidation risks and federal limits on armed federal presence at elections.
Center-right view
Epoch Times and DHS/Mullin remarks emphasize no planned polling patrols, presence only for specific threats or active warrants, and immigration enforcement duties that do not pause on Election Day.
Sources: Epoch Times · NBC News (DHS official) · El País English