New York, New York - Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters on Tuesday that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents may be deployed to polling locations during the midterm elections.
"The Democrats wanna, they throw out all these fear mongols to try to make ICE and President Trump's administration look as worse as possible," Mullin said, before taking a swipe at the "left media."
"I was being very, very clear when I said: ICE isn't there to patrol the polling places, we are there to enforce specific threats," Mullins continued.
"The only reason why we would be at polling places if there is a threat to that polling place… or we're serving a warrant on someone we are actively tracking down."
"ICE's job is immigration, customs enforcement. That's their job, and so if we're doing something, we're doing that specifically for immigration and customs enforcement," he explained. "If we're serving a warrant, we will be where we need to be."
Under federal law, military personnel or armed officers are prohibited from patrolling or operating in or around where an election is taking place "unless such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States."
In his spiel, Mullin repeatedly downplayed ICE's potential role at polling booths, but confirmed they will not be barred from having a presence. Such news will come as a shock to many who fear the Trump administration may interfere in the midterms.
The comments came only a day after Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine reassured voters the US military will not send troops to polling booths.
"I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections," he wrote in a letter to Senator Elissa Slotkin on August 28.