ICE at the polls? Arizona lawmakers consider bill to allow that
A bill in the Arizona Legislature would require county election offices to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to be present at polling places in November. The bill would be the first in the nation, as several civil rights groups, lawmakers and political candidates said it would amount to voter intimidation.
Republican lawmakers want to consider an amended bill from Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, that would require the state’s counties to enter into agreements with ICE to patrol polls at early voting sites, ballot drop boxes and on Election Day. Republicans in the state senate said in a release that agents would prevent unauthorized immigrants from voting and enforce laws around election integrity and electioneering.
The bill would allow ICE for only the 2026 midterm elections.
“The intent is to deter violations before they happen, ensure existing laws are followed, and protect the rights of every lawful voter,” Hoffman said in the release. “Just as importantly, the legislation makes clear that voting cannot be disrupted and that no one may be targeted simply for participating in an election.”
Lawmakers could hear the bill in committee as soon as Friday.
Neither Hoffman nor state Senate Republicans responded to Straight Arrow News’ requests for comment.
Even if Republicans managed to get the bill to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk, the Democrat could easily veto the measure, leaving GOP lawmakers without enough votes to override. The bill could also face legal challenges, as it’s a federal crime to deploy military troops or armed personnel to places where elections are underway, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a left-leaning criminal justice think tank.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, has yet to publicly comment on the legislation, but has defied demands from the Justice Department to turn over voter rolls and debunked claims from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that the state’s elections aren’t secure, as she promoted the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. His office didn’t immediately respond to Straight Arrow News’ request for comment.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Feb. 2 that she “couldn’t guarantee” immigration agents won’t be around polls in November, but that President Donald Trump hasn’t verbalized any plans, Reuters reported.
The legislation appears to be the first of its kind in the country to address immigration officers’ presence at polling places while people are voting. The American Civil Liberties Union said in a Nov. 3 post that putting federal immigration agents at or around polling places would amount to illegal voter intimidation.
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., asked Todd Lyons, acting chief of ICE, whether his agency has the authority to be at polling places across the nation. Lyons told her there’s no reason for his officers to be used in that capacity, but Homeland Security Investigations does conduct criminal inquiries into voter fraud.
“There’s no reason for us to deploy at a polling facility,” Lyons said on Feb. 12.
Arizona Secretary of State candidate opposes bill
According to a research memo Arizona’s State Senate sent to members of the state’s judiciary and elections committee, Hoffman’s bill is targeted for enforcement during the 2026 general election. That election includes several federal and local races across Arizona, including the secretary of state race.
Among duties to be present at polling locations, the bill also permits federal immigration officers to “observe election activities” and carry out any duties that are in the scope of their federal authority. The legislation wouldn’t permit officers to interfere with people who are actively casting ballots.
“Prohibits county recorders, each county BOS and federal immigration law enforcement personnel from questioning, detaining or arresting a voter solely for the purpose of determining voter eligibility, except as otherwise allowed under state or federal law,” according to the memo.
Arizona Secretary of State candidate Gina Swoboda, a Republican, told ABC15 that she opposes the bill and that the state already requires proof of citizenship during voter registration. She added that local law enforcement may only be necessary in extreme circumstances.
Swoboda didn’t immediately respond to SAN’s request for comment.
But placing law enforcement near the polling location could cause a voter to hesitate.
“Voter intimidation is completely subjective,” Swoboda wrote. “When the Black Panthers stationed outside Philly polling places, the GOP objected — some voters may have felt intimidated. This is no different.”
Secretaries of states concerned about agents at polls
Democratic election officials shared concerns about possible federal voter intimidation during a January gathering, The Associated Press reported. They ramped up preparations to block the Trump administration’s future efforts to conduct such actions after a Georgia election center was raided.
Secretaries from Colorado and Michigan said they have plans for various crisis scenarios should their fears about voter intimidation actualize. Part of those plans included Election Day bomb threats, which happened in New Jersey during the 2025 General Election.
“There’s now an election security component that involves this type of scenario planning, also in response to the fact that the Trump administration, very clearly, is planting seeds to potentially interfere in our elections in the future,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is also running for governor, told The Associated Press.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
