Local and state groups brace for possible ICE presence at upcoming elections

Since 2020, President Donald Trump and his supporters have floated the idea of deploying federal troops to polling sites, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin recently indicated a willingness to send ICE for a "specific threat." Officials stress that local police and the National Guard are unlikely to engage in armed confrontations with ICE, citing the Minneapolis experience where over 3,000 ICE agents operated alongside roughly 600 city officers without police interference.

Governor Tim Walz’s deployment of the Minnesota National Guard was framed as a precautionary measure rather than a direct counter to ICE activity. In response, a broad network of pro-democracy groups—including the Brennan Center, ACLU, League of Women Voters and others—are organizing voter-rights training, non-violent response drills, and legal preparedness to deter or counter any federal intimidation at the polls. These efforts aim to protect voting access in districts where ICE presence could be used to suppress turnout, especially in Black and brown communities.