HRW Calls for “No ICE” Zones Around Polling Places Ahead of November 3 Midterms

Human Rights Watch asked the United States government on Tuesday to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents away from polling stations, early-voting sites and ballot-drop boxes for the midterm elections scheduled for November 3. The organization argues that ICE’s presence could intimidate voters, particularly immigrants and communities of color, and undermine the right to vote.

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Federal law generally prohibits “troops or armed men” from being sent to voting sites, and several states bar armed officers near polling places unless responding to a specific incident. Despite these prohibitions, President Donald Trump, the heads of the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have not ruled out the possibility that ICE agents could appear at voting locations.

Human Rights Watch

In February, former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she could not “guarantee” that ICE agents would not be present. A Public Religion Research Institute survey released Tuesday found that 82 % of right-wing voters consider “ineligible people casting votes” the biggest problem in U.S. elections.

Human Rights Watch

• A September poll by the Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections at UC San Diego reported that 40 % of respondents expect some ICE presence at polls, with higher shares among non-white respondents.

Human Rights Watch

• ProPublica documented at least 500 U.S. citizens detained since the start of Trump’s second term, including 36 incidents where detainees were prevented from contacting family or lawyers for 24 hours or more. More than 100 U.S. citizens, nearly all people of color, were detained after agents questioned their citizenship.

Human Rights Watch

• HRW’s research in Minnesota found that ICE’s “Operation Metro Surge” caused many residents to stay home, miss work and appointments, and carry passports everywhere out of fear of profiling.

Human Rights Watch

• Markwayne Mullin reiterated in September that there are no current plans to deploy ICE agents to polling stations, while noting agencies could act if a warrant or security threat required it.

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• The Washington, DC Board of Elections asked the National Guard to limit troop presence near drop-box locations after reports of Guard members near a box in Foggy Bottom.

Common Dreams

• Three federal lawsuits are pending to block ICE operations at polling places, and an additional case seeks to compel the government to disclose any deployment plans.

Common Dreams

• HRW points to pending litigation and a lack of transparent government disclosure, while DHS officials maintain that no deployment plans exist but do not rule out future action.

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• The Trump administration continues to promote claims of widespread non-citizen voting despite multiple studies—by the Fair Elections Center, Bipartisan Policy Center, Brennan Center and Cato Institute—finding no evidence of mass illegal voting that would affect election outcomes.

Human Rights Watch

• “ICE agents should be publicly ordered to stay away from the polls, and anywhere ballots are being cast,” — Philippe Bolopion, executive director

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• The pending lawsuits aim to obtain court orders preventing ICE presence at voting sites and to force the government to reveal any deployment plans before the November 3 midterms.

Human Rights Watch

• The Washington, DC Board of Elections’ request to the National Guard suggests continued monitoring of law-enforcement proximity to ballot-drop locations throughout the election period.

Common Dreams