A senior Department of Homeland Security official told state election leaders this week that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will not be deployed to polling places during the November midterms, calling such claims "simply disinformation."
Heather Honey, DHS deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, made the remarks during a private call Wednesday with election officials and representatives from the Election Assistance Commission, the Justice Department and the FBI.
"Any suggestion that ICE is going to be present at polling places is simply disinformation," Honey said, according to four people on the call who were interviewed by Politico. "There will be no ICE presence at polling locations."
The assurance comes amid heightened tensions over election administration and immigration enforcement. Earlier this month, former White House adviser Steve Bannon said on his "War Room" podcast that "you're damn right we're going to have ICE surround the polls come November," adding that supporters would not "allow an election to be stolen."
Asked about Bannon's comments, then White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she could offer "no guarantee," calling the question "a very silly hypothetical" and adding she had not heard the president discuss "any formal plans."
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The uproar came amid claims by President Trump in early February that Republicans "ought to nationalize the voting" in some jurisdictions, prompting criticism from Democrats and constitutional scholars who note that the Constitution gives states primary authority over administering elections, subject to limited federal regulation.
Despite Honey's pledge, some Democratic officials remain skeptical, as Politico points ous. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who participated in the call, said he was not reassured.
"I can't depend on an election denier like that for the truth under any circumstances. So, they need to get better spokespeople who actually have some integrity"
Another participant described the discussion as sending "conflicting messages" about the federal government's role in 2026, while a third said it felt like an effort to "check the box" that outreach had occurred.
Federal courts have previously blocked parts of executive actions seeking to change election procedures, including measures requiring proof of citizenship for federal voter registration.
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