A coalition of advocacy groups and the city of Denver filed a lawsuit on Thursday, September 10, 2026, to prevent the Trump administration from deploying armed federal agents to polling locations. The legal action, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks a court order declaring any plans for armed agent presence at voting sites unlawful. The plaintiffs also request a prohibition on federal officers carrying weapons near sites where votes are collected during the upcoming November midterm elections.
The lawsuit was filed by the legal group Democracy Forward on behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Common Cause, UnidosUS, and the city of Denver. It names the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as defendants, along with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and ICE official David Venturella. The plaintiffs cited a federal law that makes it a crime for officials to order the deployment of "any troops or armed men" to election sites unless necessary to "repel armed enemies of the United States."
DHS Secretary Mullin stated during a news conference in New York City that ICE is not intended to "patrol the polling places." However, he said agents could be present if there is a specific "threat" to a site or if they are serving a warrant for an individual they have been "actively tracking down." While administration officials have denied having concrete plans for such deployments, the lawsuit argues the possibility creates a "specter of armed officers" that could place voters in fear and deter them from casting ballots.
For residents in the affected jurisdictions, the ruling will determine the environment they experience when visiting schools, community centers, or government buildings to vote in November. The scale of the impact could be national, as a federal court order from the Washington, D.C. district could apply to the DHS and ICE workforce.
The case also addresses the jurisdiction of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations branch, which has been assigned to help with investigations into alleged voter fraud. Following the filing on Thursday, the case moves to the federal district court. A specific date for a ruling has not been reported, but the plaintiffs are seeking relief before the midterm elections in November. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated the military has no plans to dispatch troops or National Guard soldiers to polling sites.