Leavitt says "I can't guarantee that an ICE agent won't be around a polling location in November"
White House press secretary
“That's not something I've ever heard the president consider, no. … I can't guarantee that an ICE agent won't be around a polling location in November. I mean, that's frankly a very silly hypothetical question. But what I can tell you is I haven't heard the president discuss any formal plans to put ICE outside of polling locations. It's a disingenuous question.”
Source and context
Original video
About this source
White House video of the Feb. 5, 2026 press briefing. The quoted wording is our transcription of the video audio and matches a published transcript of the briefing.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
NPR's report on the LULAC and NAACP suits. It quotes a DHS statement to NPR, reports that the White House said in response to the lawsuit that it has repeatedly addressed the issue and that the president has not discussed plans for ICE to be at polling places, and includes remarks from Denver's clerk and recorder and from counsel for the plaintiffs.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
A reporter quoted Steve Bannon's February 3 comment as saying ICE would be around the polls in November and asked whether the president was considering it.
After the quotation
On September 18, NPR reported that the White House said, in response to the NAACP lawsuit, that the president has not discussed plans for ICE to be at polling places.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Should ICE and other armed federal agents be allowed at or near polling places in the 2026 election?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The fixed reference point is the administration's stated or threatened use of ICE at or near polling places. Leavitt denied hearing of any formal plan but refused to guarantee that an ICE agent would not be around a polling location. Those two positions together fit mixed or conditional better than a denial or a refusal to address the question.
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Should ICE and other armed federal agents be allowed at or near polling places in the 2026 election?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full case“We are taking strong, joint legal action to block Donald Trump’s threats to deploy federal agents, including ICE and FBI agents, to polling places this November. … Federal law explicitly forbids voter intimidation and stationing armed federal agents at polling places.”Read statement
NAACP
“We reject this administration’s attempt to desecrate our polling sites by converting them into militarized zones through the unlawful deployment of ICE or any other federal agent … The Voting Rights Act prohibits intimidation tactics that stand to deny and deter voters from exercising their voice and their rights.”Read statement
“I have not seen any operational plans or any discussions on any immigration enforcement operation at polling places. This is another fear tactic. This is another attack on ICE and this administration. … I want to put that to bed. There is no plan to sweep polling places looking for illegal aliens.”Read statement