A coalition consisting of advocacy organizations and a Democratic-led municipality filed a proactive lawsuit on Thursday to prevent the Trump administration from stationing armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at polling stations for the upcoming November midterm elections. The legal action requests a federal district court in Washington, D.C., to rule any strategy involving armed personnel at voting locations illegal and to ban federal officials from bearing arms close to voting and ballot collection sites. The complaint argues that the presence of armed officers at voting locations endangers the freedom of the election and intimidates voters with the prospect of facing armed federal law enforcement when casting ballots. Named as defendants in the suit are the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and their respective chiefs, Markwayne Mullin and David Venturella. The filing was executed by the progressive legal organization Democracy Forward representing the League of United Latin American Citizens, Common Cause, UnidosUS, and the city of Denver. The lawsuit points to a federal statute that criminalizes the deployment of troops or armed personnel to any election site unless necessary to counter armed enemies of the country. While figures associated with the MAGA movement, such as Steve Bannon, have urged ICE to surround polling stations, Trump administration representatives have denied any definitive plans for these deployments while declining to entirely rule out agent presence under specific conditions. At a press conference in New York City earlier in the month, DHS Secretary Mullin stated that ICE is not intended to patrol polling places, though he noted agents could be present if there is a threat or if they are executing a warrant for an individual they are actively pursuing. Mullin emphasized that they will be wherever necessary to serve a warrant. ICE’s deportation unit primarily focuses on locating, arresting, detaining, and deporting individuals who have violated U.S. immigration laws, whereas its Homeland Security Investigations branch traditionally targets international criminal activity and has increasingly supported immigration enforcement and voter fraud inquiries. Meanwhile, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that the military has no intention of sending troops or National Guard members to polling locations.
Source: cbsnews.com
