DHS chief leaves open ICE presence at 2026 polling places
What's new: Markwayne Mullin tied DHS election planning to citizenship checks and claimed voter-roll reviews found thousands registered for mailed ballots.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin left open the possibility of immigration enforcement near polling places as the Trump administration pushes citizenship checks ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In a CNN interview, Mullin said DHS was reviewing voter information and records to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections. He argued that even a small number of illegal votes justified action and said roll-cleaning efforts had identified thousands of registered voters who had been sent mail ballots. The interview followed questions at his March confirmation hearing about whether ICE agents could be stationed near voting sites.