DHS Election Official Tells State Chiefs ICE Agents Won’t Be at 2026 Polling Places, But Refuses to Affirm State Control of Elections
On a multi‑agency call ahead of the 2026 midterms, Heather Honey, DHS deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, told state election officials that ICE agents would not be present at polling places “this election cycle,” a reassurance confirmed on the record by several secretaries of state. When pressed to affirm the constitutional principle that states control elections, DHS declined to make that commitment and said it could still conduct targeted ICE actions in response to an “active public safety threat,” prompting distrust from some state officials given Honey’s past support for false 2020 election claims.
📌 Key Facts
- Identifies Heather Honey, DHS deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, as the official giving the assurance on a multi‑agency call.
- Provides on‑record confirmations from Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read’s office that Honey said ICE would not be present at polling locations.
- Notes that Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams publicly echoed the assurance on X, saying DHS confirmed ICE will not be at voting locations this year.
- Details that the call also included representatives from the FBI, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Postal Service and other federal agencies to coordinate ahead of the midterms.
- Adds Democratic concerns and quotes, including Sen. Elissa Slotkin warning about the possibility of 'uniformed and masked ICE agents encircling polling places' and framing that fear as 'not fantasy.'
- Identifies Heather Honey by name on the record as the DHS deputy assistant secretary for election integrity who gave the assurance.
- Quotes Honey’s wording via Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes: 'any suggestion that ICE will be present at any polling location is simply not true.'
- Places the assurance in the context of Democrats’ broader fears of Trump‑era election meddling, including DOJ lawsuits for detailed voter data and the FBI raid on Fulton County’s elections office.
- Notes DHS did not respond to AP’s request for comment on Honey’s pledge.
- Underscores that Honey herself has backed false 2020 election claims, highlighting the contradiction between her election‑integrity role and past conspiracy advocacy.
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 26, 2026
5:10 PM
DHS tells state election chiefs that ICE won’t be at voting sites
New information:
- Confirms that the pledge was delivered on a multi‑agency call that also included FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Election Assistance Commission.
- Adds explicit on‑the‑record reactions from multiple secretaries of state—Steve Simon, Adrian Fontes, Shenna Bellows and Michael Adams—highlighting distrust of Heather Honey’s assurances because of her Cyber Ninjas background.
- Reveals that DHS officials on the call refused to publicly affirm the constitutional principle that states, not the federal government, control elections, leading to what Maine’s Shenna Bellows described as 'stunned silence.'
- Clarifies that DHS’s commitment that ICE will not be at polling places is limited to 'this election cycle' and that DHS reserves the option of targeted ICE actions at polling locations in response to an 'active public safety threat.'
- Details that DHS declined to answer specific questions from states about the Trump‑backed SAVE Act and its implications for federal versus state election authority.
3:29 PM
DHS official promises that federal immigration agents won't be at polling places during midterm elections
New information:
- Identifies Heather Honey by name on the record as the DHS deputy assistant secretary for election integrity who gave the assurance.
- Quotes Honey’s wording via Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes: 'any suggestion that ICE will be present at any polling location is simply not true.'
- Places the assurance in the context of Democrats’ broader fears of Trump‑era election meddling, including DOJ lawsuits for detailed voter data and the FBI raid on Fulton County’s elections office.
- Notes DHS did not respond to AP’s request for comment on Honey’s pledge.
- Underscores that Honey herself has backed false 2020 election claims, highlighting the contradiction between her election‑integrity role and past conspiracy advocacy.
8:46 AM
DHS says ICE agents will not be at polling places during midterms
New information:
- Identifies Heather Honey, DHS deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, as the official giving the assurance on a multi‑agency call.
- Provides on‑record confirmations from Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read’s office that Honey said ICE would not be present at polling locations.
- Notes that Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams publicly echoed the assurance on X, saying DHS confirmed ICE will not be at voting locations this year.
- Details that the call also included representatives from the FBI, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Postal Service and other federal agencies to coordinate ahead of the midterms.
- Adds Democratic concerns and quotes, including Sen. Elissa Slotkin warning about the possibility of 'uniformed and masked ICE agents encircling polling places' and framing that fear as 'not fantasy.'
February 25, 2026