Steve Bannon, a key figure in the MAGA movement, said this week that the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at U.S. airports is a “test run” for the 2026 midterm elections. The incoming Secretary of Homeland Security refused to rule this out under oath.
President Donald Trump had deployed ICE agents to airports to help reduce travel delays caused by a partial government shutdown, but Bannon framed the move with a political agenda. Bannon directly connected the airport deployments to future election plans.
While interviewing right-wing ally Mike Davis, Bannon asked, according to The Daily Beast, “We can use what’s happening with these ICE helping out, helping out at the airports, we can use this as a test run, as a test case to perfect, really perfect, ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterm elections?”
The DHS nominee’s refusal to deny ICE at polling places raises real concern
Bannon has been pushing for President Trump to deploy ICE agents to polling locations for months. This has raised concerns among voting rights activists about potential voter intimidation.
Davis agreed, stating, “Yeah, I do think we should have ICE agents at the polling places because if you’re an illegal alien, you can’t vote.” Bannon then said the airport scenario was “perfect training” for November, noting that ICE agents are “trained to, wait for it, check IDs.”
Steve Bannon: “We can use this, ICE helping at airports, as a test run, a test case, to really perfect ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterms.
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) March 23, 2026
Mike Davis: “I think we should have ICE agents at the polling places”
Saying the quiet part out loud. pic.twitter.com/KardWXYjrq
He called the strategy “brilliant” and added, “Let’s get ICE into the airports to help out in the lines. They can’t work the machines. You know what they’ll do? Walk on down, ‘Hey, we’re going to speed things through. Can we check your IDs?’ That’s what’s going to happen in the fall of 26.” Bannon, like President Trump, has repeatedly claimed elections have been stolen without providing any evidence.
A DHS official had assured state election officials in February that immigration agents would not be present during the midterms. Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams confirmed this on social media, writing, “DHS confirms to Secretaries of State that ICE agents will not be at voting locations this year” on February 25.
However, that assurance now appears to be weakening. Critics have grown louder in recent months, with concerns about how ICE’s expanding powers threaten civil liberties reaching a wider audience.
During his confirmation hearing, the nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security was asked by Senator Markwayne Mullin about deploying ICE agents to polling locations. The nominee refused to rule it out, saying he would only deploy ICE if there was a “specific threat,” without explaining what that would mean. He told Senator Elissa Slotkin he could not engage in hypotheticals.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had previously said in February that she “can’t guarantee” an ICE agent wouldn’t be near polling locations during the midterms, when Bannon first raised the idea.
Border czar Tom Homan confirmed that ICE agents had been deployed to fourteen airports across the country, with more deployments expected. This comes amid growing scrutiny of ICE’s conduct in custody, including the death of a 19-year-old in ICE detention that has raised serious questions.
President Trump, when asked about the airport deployment, first said agents “love it because they are able to now arrest illegals as they come into the country,” then insisted that was not the actual reason, claiming they were there to help with the lines.
