Will ICE agents play a role in the 2026 US midterm elections?

Human rights groups are raising alarm about the possible presence of immigration agents near polling stations as the United States heads toward the 2026 midterm elections, according to an Al Jazeera explainer.

The agency at the center of the debate is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has spearheaded President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Under Trump, ICE has grown to about 22,000 officers and agents and is considered the best-funded federal law enforcement agency after recent spending packages, Al Jazeera reports.

Groups including Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union fear that an ICE presence around polling stations could deter eligible voters from casting ballots. Federal law dating back to 1865 prohibits armed federal agents at polling stations, though there are exceptions — such as keeping the peace — and state rules vary. During this year's primaries, ICE agents were spotted near polling stations in two cases; both times they left after local police asked them to go, according to the report.

The Trump administration has refused to rule out deploying ICE agents to stop illegal voting. In May, Trump said he would do "anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections," and in September, Homeland Security Secretary Mullin said agents would only be present at polling places if there were a threat.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations unit reportedly sent agents door-to-door asking residents about citizenship and voting plans — but a federal judge this week ordered those investigations paused, citing a "high likelihood of error" and the risk that US citizens could be stopped.

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch called on the administration to keep ICE agents away from polling stations and other midterm voting sites, echoing an October 16 appeal from Amnesty International.