Rep. Krishnamoorthi's letter to Secretary Mullin on armed federal agents at or near polling places
Raja KrishnamoorthiU.S. representative from Illinois and member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
In a September 4 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) wrote that voters should not have to wonder whether federal immigration agents could appear at or near their polling place, and that the presence of armed federal agents there could create confusion, fear or intimidation. He wrote that DHS cannot maintain both that ICE has "no reason" to be near a polling place and that its Special Response Teams stand ready to deploy there.
“With early voting and Election Day fast approaching, voters should not have to wonder whether federal immigration agents could appear at or near their polling place while they are casting their ballots. The presence of armed federal agents at or near a polling location—even when ostensibly responding to a separate law-enforcement matter—could create confusion, fear, or intimidation and could discourage eligible voters from exercising their constitutional right to vote. The Department cannot simultaneously maintain, on one hand, that ICE has ‘no reason’ to be near a polling place, and on the other, that its Special Response Teams stand ready to deploy there. As the Department's Secretary, you are uniquely positioned to end this ambiguity.”
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
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi's press release announcing his letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about ICE, CBP and other armed federal agents at polling places, with quoted passages from the letter.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Official statement
About this source
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi's letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin asking for a definitive DHS policy on deploying ICE, CBP or other personnel to polling places, and for related records.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
In the letter, Krishnamoorthi describes Mullin's September 1 remarks at a press conference in New York as saying that ICE agents could be present at a polling place if there is a threat to it or if they are serving a warrant on someone they have been actively tracking down.
After the quotation
The letter asks DHS for a definitive statement of policy on whether ICE, CBP or any other DHS component will deploy personnel to, or within sight of, any polling place, ballot drop box or election office in the 2026 election. It asks for a response by September 10, 2026.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the administration's stated or threatened use of ICE and other armed federal agents at or near polling places in the 2026 election. Krishnamoorthi wrote that the presence of armed federal agents at or near a polling location could create confusion, fear or intimidation and discourage eligible voters, that federal law restricts armed personnel at polling places, and that DHS cannot hold two contradictory positions on whether ICE could be near a polling place. That criticizes the stated or threatened use and the administration's refusal to rule it out, so we labeled it Condemned.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Markwayne Mullin, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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The Dispute Index. "Rep. Krishnamoorthi's letter to Secretary Mullin on armed federal agents at or near polling places". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3336-in-a-september-4-letter-to-homeland-security