Lyons writes there is "no reason for ICE personnel to be deployed to polling places"
Todd LyonsSenior Official Performing the Duties of the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
In a May 11 letter to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Todd M. Lyons wrote that "there is no reason for ICE personnel to be deployed to polling places" and added that ICE Homeland Security Investigations "will continue to perform this vital mission" of investigating voter fraud.
“Therefore, there is no reason for ICE personnel to be deployed to polling places. ICE officers and special agents are sworn federal law enforcement officials that are responsible for enforcing violations of immigration and criminal laws. However, as the principal investigative component of DHS, ICE Homeland Security Investigations plays an important role in investigating voter fraud and will continue to perform this vital mission.”
Official statement
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Should ICE and other armed federal agents be allowed at or near polling places in the 2026 election?
Since February 2026, federal officials have given differing answers about whether ICE and other armed federal agents could be at or near polling places during the November 3 election. On September 1, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE would be at a polling place only if there is a threat to it or agents are serving a warrant, and DHS told Politico that ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations but that arrests could result if an active public safety threat endangered one. On September 10, 18 and 23, 2026, LULAC and other groups, a coalition including the NAACP, and Democratic leaders and party committees sued separately in federal court in Washington. They allege that the administration's statements and actions violate 18 U.S.C. 592, Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, or both. As of September 25, the court dockets show no motion for a preliminary injunction and no answer or motion to dismiss from the federal defendants, and no court has ruled.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
ICE's one-page reply, signed by Todd M. Lyons as Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director, to the March 9 letter from nine secretaries of state. The copy was published by the Colorado Secretary of State's office.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Official statement
About this source
Release publishing the May 11 reply from ICE's Todd Lyons. It says the reply was dated more than a month after the April 8 response deadline the secretaries requested, quotes Griswold's reaction, and links both letters.
Before the quotation
The March 9 letter from nine secretaries of state had asked for confirmation that ICE officers and special agents will not be present at voting and election administration locations during the 2026 election.
After the quotation
The Colorado Secretary of State's office released the letter on May 27 and said it was dated more than a month after the April 8 response deadline the secretaries had requested.
How this statement is classified
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. Lyons answered a request for confirmation that ICE would not be present by writing that there is no reason for ICE personnel to be deployed to polling places, which rejects the premise of a planned presence. Mixed or conditional loses because the added sentence concerns voter-fraud investigations, not a polling-place deployment.
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The Dispute Index. "Lyons writes there is "no reason for ICE personnel to be deployed to polling places"". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2689-in-a-may-11-letter-to-colorado-secretary