US midterms: FBI, ICE agents will not serve as election monitors, DOJ says

FBI agents will not be “monitoring” midterm polling booths

The US Department of Justice said FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel will not serve as monitors during the November midterm elections, amid concerns from civil rights groups that the Trump administration’s plans for federal election oversight could intimidate voters.In a court filing late Wednesday in a lawsuit brought by the NAACP, the Justice Department said federal election monitors would observe polling places, take notes and would not act as law enforcement personnel, reported Reuters. They would also be prohibited from carrying firearms and have been trained not to interfere with voting or violate state and local rules, the filing said.While employees of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will serve as monitors, the department said neither FBI nor ICE employees would be deployed in that role.Concerns over the possible deployment of federal law enforcement officers at polling sites had grown in the run-up to the midterms. Last month, a coalition of civil rights groups led by the NAACP sued the Trump administration, seeking to prevent ICE agents and other federal law enforcement personnel from being stationed at polling locations. The groups argued that the prospect of such a deployment could intimidate voters, particularly Black, Latino and Asian communities, naturalised citizens and members of mixed-status families.Even President Donald Trump declined to rule out sending ICE officers or National Guard personnel to polling locations. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had said ICE would not patrol polling sites but could respond if there was a threat at a location or agents needed to serve a warrant.The Trump administration has also stepped up scrutiny of voter registration records, pressing states for voter data and arguing that stricter oversight is necessary to maintain confidence in elections. Some officials told Reuters this month that they were preparing for potential federal interference in the midterms.The Justice Department’s filing addresses the role of election monitors, while the broader legal challenges also contest the administration’s increased scrutiny of voter rolls. The groups argue that the presence, or threat of deployment, of federal officers could amount to voter intimidation and violate protections under federal voting-rights law.