A newly acquired internal email from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reveals that agency personnel shared a 78-page document listing jurisdictions that provide election materials in languages other than English. The email, sent in December of last year, was obtained by NPR following a public records lawsuit filed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The document was attached alongside a Department of Justice criminal checklist that details the requirements for prosecuting voter-related charges.
The correspondence was sent by an acting director of border policy to Rob Law, the undersecretary for strategy, policy, and plans, and included Heather Honey, who leads the administration's efforts to identify noncitizen voting. While the document identifies specific states and counties, it does not explicitly describe enforcement activities at those locations. DHS described the email in court filings as a subordinate sharing "initial thoughts and opinions with leadership" and stated it is not planning operations targeting polling places.
In a statement to NPR, DHS said that individuals who vote illegally should not be able to use a "purported lack of knowledge" of English as a defense against prosecution. The DNC, which filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to determine if federal agents would be deployed to polls or drop boxes, expressed concern that the list suggests the targeting of multilingual jurisdictions. Dan Freeman, the DNC's litigation director, stated the logical inference is that the administration is considering the prosecution of federal election crimes in areas where elections are conducted in non-English languages.
The scale of the reported impact is reflected in recent polling from the University of California San Diego, which found that approximately 40% of voters—including about a third of Democrats, Republicans, and independents—believe it is likely that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be present at their local polling locations. Voters of color reported a higher level of concern than white voters regarding the possibility of being questioned by immigration authorities despite being U.S. citizens. For a resident in a city like Denver, where nearly one-third of the population is Hispanic or Latino, these concerns could manifest as a "chilling effect" on turnout, according to Denver election official Paul López.
The concrete day-to-day change for voters remains uncertain, as federal law generally prohibits federal interference at polling places. However, statements from administration officials have contributed to public debate; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin recently stated ICE agents could serve warrants at polls, while President Trump said he would do "anything necessary" for "honest" elections. The DNC is continuing its litigation to obtain additional unredacted records. The legal and policy implications will likely become clearer as the midterm elections approach and further court rulings regarding federal presence at the polls are issued.