Fetterman joins Democrats in warning Mullin, DHS about election interference

Centrist Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) joined Senate Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warning him not to let immigration enforcement officials interfere with voting in the midterm election.

“We write to warn you against continued activities at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that seek to undermine the constitutional authority of both Congress and states to administer elections and defy the directions of federal courts,” Democrats wrote in the letter to Mullin.

Fetterman was one of 34 members of the Senate Democratic caucus who signed the letter.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, was the lead signatory.

The senators wrote in response to Mullin’s statement earlier this month that the Department of Homeland Security could send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to polling places to “enforce specific threats.”

Mullin said ICE officers would deploy to polling places only if there is a threat to the polling location or to serve as warrant to someone they are actively tracking down.

Democrats have sought for clarification from Mullin about when and why ICE agents would be dispatched to polling locations.

Mullin claimed in July that 250,000 non-citizens were registered to votes in four states, a claim that Democrats say was made “without evidence.”

Democrats pointed out that Mullin initially claimed that 16,000 noncitizens illegally registered to vote in Nevada. Other DHS officials later revised that number to 185.

Democrats wrote in their letter to Mullin that his “unsubstantiated allegations of noncitizen voter fraud” appears to be a “calculated” effort “to undermine confidence in our elections” and “risks wrongly disenfranchising voters.”

“We are deeply troubled by the actions that you, DHS, and the Trump administration have taken,” they wrote. “As such, we demand that you immediately cease the aforementioned activities and provide us with all information underpinning the allegation made in your July 17, 2026, letter regarding non-citizens registered to vote.”

Fetterman’s office said the Pennsylvania Democrat has been “clear” that U.S. elections are secure, fair and accurate.

He joined Democratic colleagues on an April 20 letter to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors and Postmaster General urging them not to implement an executive order to create a national list of citizens to determine voting eligibility and to restrict mail-in ballots.

Fetterman also joined Democratic colleagues on a Sept. 4 letter protesting the U.S. Postal Service’s finalized rule to implement Trump’s vote-by-mail executive order, calling the Postal Service’s actions a demonstration of “utter disregard for the rule of law.”

Fetterman has sided with his Democratic colleagues in the partisan fight over election and voting rules amid rising speculation about whether he will remain a member of the Democratic caucus after the midterm election or remain a member of the Democratic Party.

Fetterman declined to comment in detail about his future political plans at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Saturday.

“Let’s revisit after the midterm,” he said, referring to November’s elections.

But Fetterman indicated once again that he plans to remain a member of the Democratic caucus.

“Let’s see what happens if I happen to be 51,” he said, alluding to rising expectations that Democrats could recapture the Senate majority in November.

“I have no path as a Republican,” he said. “There are no Republicans with a 90-percent Democratic vote line. There are no pro-choice, there’s no pro-gay community, that does not exist in the Republican Party.”