Polling station

Welcome back.

Another one of the warnings that has been circulating in recent months from Democrats is the idea that President Trump might order immigration and customs enforcement agents to polling places.

So notably, we got some news on that on Sunday.

Here is Borders are Tom Homan speaking on Fox News.

Look, I have not seen any operational plans or any discussions on any immigration enforcement operation at polling places.

This is another fear tactic.

This is another attack on ICE and this administration.

I mean, they don't want ICE near the polling places.

Um, but yeah, that's the, the question.

They're pinning their hopes on, uh, on September 1st, uh, Secretary Mullen said, uh, was asked, "Are you gonna send ICE people and, to polling places?" And he said, "Well, the only reason why we would be at polling places is if there is a threat to that polling place, or we're serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down.

ICE's job is Immigration Customs Enforcement.

That's their job.

Today.

Today, man, we're still fighting over these things, over polling places, over ICE at polling places.

Court decisions are still going down daily.

And we want to talk about those things and keep you guys updated because this is what's important.

Not that.

We already played that one.

Denver, Colorado, and three voting rights organizations are suing the Trump administration to prevent armed immigration and customs enforcement officers from being stationed at or patrolling polling places during the 2026 midterm elections.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., argues deploying armed federal agents at polling locations would violate a federal law restricting armed forces from election sites, except in cases involving armed enemies of the United States.

So to see you Boulder professor of law, Doug Spencer, under two different statutes.

But polling places are a safe haven and they are so by federal statute.

And while the DHS secretary argues that ICE agents aren't showing up to intimidate, Spencer says the impact is clear.

It's not just that voter turnout might go down somewhat.

It's that certain groups.

Immigrant groups, second generation Americans, people who are citizens but might fear having these interactions with ice will potentially be disproportionately concerned by the presence of ice in polling places.

Spencer says it could be another strategy to influence who votes and their hope for a more favorable outcome.

Lopez says it's all the more reason to encourage everyone to vote.

Take a listen and then let's break it down.

The only reason why we would be at polling places if there is a threat to that polling place or we're serving, yes, or we're serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down.

We're not going to be at the, ICE's job is immigration custom enforcement.

That's their job.

Let me let me talk about the other aspect of DHS.

And this is ICE being sent to polling places.

Here's Mark Wayne Mullen.

I was being very, very clear when I said ICE isn't there to patrol the polling places.

We're there to enforce specific threats.

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 that we have been actively tracking down.

Peter, untangle that for me.

Well, look, there's a lot of concern about the idea of ICE at these polling places for a variety of reasons.

Janie B, what else we got?

Next is a text message from Ari in Marietta who writes, Rick Jackson says Georgia National Guard troops will monitor polling sites.

Explain that one to me.

Yeah, Ari.

Governor Kemp is your watcher for us.

Is that right? Yeah, he's going to get your national guard.

So Governor Kemp has since said, basically indicated, that he's going to do everything he can to make it harder to cheat and easier to vote in Georgia, but indicated he was not planning whatsoever to call the National Guard to monitor polling sites.

Rick Jackson's campaign said that was not his intent and that was not the message he intended to deliver.

What can local law enforcement do or can they not do, depending on what scenario they are met with? Whether it's, uh, uh, whether the federal, federal agents come to a polling place with a search warrant, or they do it under some national emergency order issued by the president.

How can they push back or not push back? And the other big thing was the potential for violence that they are, uh, afraid of, and that, they said, is one of their biggest concerns at this point, even bigger than the potential for ICE around polling places.

Uh, because they feel as though the president is injecting all of this disinformation into the ecosystem, and that if an election, if the results don't go in the way for the president's party or the Republican Party, that then that could lead to violence that these election officials have to deal with.

And as you know, and as we have covered for years now, the threats to election officials is higher than it has been in prior election cycles, and that kind of has been from 2020 till now.

And so I think it's important to, to reassure people that the ultimate antidote to voter suppression is voter turnout, and the way to overcome these unprecedented threats we face to the election system is to vote in record numbers, which will make it harder to do all of the shenanigans that they're planning to do to try to steal the election.

With all of that analysis in mind, I want you to take a listen to Steve Bannon.

This is sound from this week, him talking about ICE at polling places.

[dramatic music] This is why we need a national emergency, uh, proclamation, a national emergency memo about the upcoming elections.