Homan rules out ICE 'sweep' at polls as armed agents controversy escalates to lawsuit
Homan: Give me one example where ICE has arrested anybody in elementary school, in the hospital, n a church. It hasn't happened. The only people that violate the sanctity of a church was Don lemon and that whole group…
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 13, 2026
We're arresting people that may have went to church and… pic.twitter.com/yhvAPUBhqj
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid growing fear over the possibility of armed ICE agents’ deployment at polling stations in the midterms, White House border czar Tom Homan said there are no plans in place for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to “sweep polling locations” in the November midterm elections.
His statement comes as the situation around ICE agents' deployment in the election this fall has escalated into lawsuits with civil rights groups. Voting rights organizations want to stop the Trump administration from sending agents to voting sites.
Tom Homan denies any ICE plan for polls
Appearing on Fox News’s 'The Sunday Briefing' on Sunday, September 13, Homan said that he has 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,” Homan responded after the host asked if there is any truth in claims about ICE agents “raiding” voting stations in the November election.
“I mean, they don’t want ICE near the polling places, they don’t want to vote for voter ID, they don’t want observers. What have they got to hide to begin with, right? But there is no plan for enforcement action at polling places. It’s just another attempt to smear ICE and smear the president,” Homan added.
Homan also pushed back on reports of ICE arrests at elementary schools, hospitals, and places of worship, saying there’s no “sensitive location” policy.
“If you’re a criminal alien, you’re a national security threat. There’s no sanctuary,” he said. “But look at the past two years. Not one instance of ICE operating at a sensitive location, [including] polling places.”
Lawsuit demands block on ICE at polling stations
Last week, Latino civil rights and voting rights groups, along with the city of Denver, filed a lawsuit to block ICE from polling locations.
Immigrant rights groups League of United Latin American Citizens, Common Cause, and UnidosUS are among the plaintiffs other than Denver.
The plaintiffs argued that under post-Civil War-era federal laws, armed federal personnel are barred from polling locations to prevent possible intimidation.
Lawyers for the appellants wrote, “The specter of armed officers at polling places threatens the freedom of this upcoming election.”
“It places voters in fear that they will be confronted by armed federal immigration enforcement officers if they choose to cast a ballot,” they added.
Markwayne Mullin says ICE would appear if needed
Earlier this month, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE would appear at polling places if there is a threat or a warrant for “someone that we have been actively tracking down.”
In a June statement, Mullin noted that ICE would not be at polling locations because “only people who should be voting there are American citizens.”
