Trump admin sued over possible ICE deployment at US midterm polling sites

A coalition of civil rights groups has sued the Trump administration, seeking to prevent US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other federal law-enforcement officers from being deployed at polling sites during the November midterm elections.The lawsuit, led by the NAACP, was filed Friday in a US federal court and argues that the administration's stated possibility of deploying federal officers at polling locations could amount to voter intimidation, The Guardian reported.The groups have also challenged increased federal scrutiny of voter rolls.According to the complaint, such actions could discourage people from voting, particularly Black, Latino and Asian voters, naturalised citizens and members of mixed-status families.The groups cited comments by senior Trump administration officials about the possible presence of federal agents at polling locations. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said earlier this month that ICE would not patrol polling sites but could be present if there was a threat at a location or if agents were serving a warrant.The administration has previously said that ICE does not plan operations targeting polling locations. DHS has maintained that the agency conducts targeted enforcement and could respond if an active public-safety threat emerged at a polling site.However, President Donald Trump has previously declined to rule out sending ICE officers or National Guard personnel to polling locations during the midterms, contributing to concerns among voting-rights groups.What the lawsuit saysThe groups argue that deploying armed federal personnel at election sites would violate federal law and that the threat of such a presence could intimidate voters. They also cited provisions of the Voting Rights Act that prohibit intimidation, threats or coercion against people exercising their right to vote.The lawsuit is at least the second legal challenge this month seeking to prevent federal immigration agents from being present at polling locations during the midterms.The Guardian reported that the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security had been asked for comment on the lawsuit. The FBI declined to comment, while ICE referred questions to DHS.Federal law separately prohibits armed federal officers or members of the armed forces from being stationed at locations where elections are being held, subject to a narrow exception involving armed enemies of the US.So far, the Trump administration has not deployed armed federal officers or military personnel at polling locations for the upcoming midterm elections. The US military has also said it has no plans to send federal military personnel or federalised National Guard members to polling places during the 2026 elections.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.