Denver, Voting Rights Groups Sue to Block Armed ICE Agents From Polling Places

The City of Denver joined the League of United Latin American Citizens, Common Cause, and UnidosUS in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, September 10, 2026 in Washington, D.C., seeking to block the Trump administration from stationing armed ICE agents at polling sites during the November 2026 midterms. The suit, filed against DHS, Secretary Markwayne Mullin, ICE, and Acting Director David Venturella, argues that doing so would violate a Civil War-era law barring federal officials from placing armed men to 'keep the peace at the polls,' and cites a May 2024 San Antonio incident in which armed agents detained someone in view of voters and a June 2026 episode in Syracuse in which agents interrogated a polling volunteer about her social media activity. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said 'the right to vote, and to do so without fear of intimidation, is fundamental to our democracy.' Secretary Mullin responded that 'ICE isn't there to patrol the polling places. We're there to enforce specific threats... or we're serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down.'