Secretary Mullen stated on September 1st that ICE would only be at polling places if there is a threat to the polling place or to serve a warrant on someone being actively tracked.

What we found

Supports. NBC News reports that Mullin said at a Sept. 1, 2026 New York news conference that ICE officers would be at a polling place only if "there is a threat to that polling place" or if they were serving a warrant on someone "that we have been actively tracking down."[3]

Supports. PolitiFact quotes Mullin telling reporters in September: "The only reason why we would be at polling places is if there is a threat to that polling place or we're serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down."[1]

Supports. CNN quotes the same statement from Mullin, attributed to his remarks in early September, and adds his later line that "If we're serving a warrant, we will be where we need to be."[4]

Context. Later AP reporting says DHS told election officials ICE will not be stationed at polls for the midterms, but Mullin's September remarks are still described as limiting ICE presence to threats or warrant service; this does not change the claim's statement about what he said on September 1.[2][5]

Context. The claim's wording "ICE would only be at polling places" closely tracks the quoted "the only reason" language, so the paraphrase is faithful to the source.[1][3]

Sources

5 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 tier 2, 1 not rated

1. 1What could stop Trump from sending ICE to polls?politifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
2. 2Trump administration says it has no plans for ICE officers at ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
3. 3DHS: No plans for ICE to be at polls for midterm electionsnbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
4. 4Will the Trump administration send federal agents to the polls ... - CNNcnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
5. 5DHS says no ICE operations planned at polls but targeted arrests possible | US Briefus-brief.com · not rated · cited for: context

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

• The Lawfare Podcast · Sep 14, 2026“September 1st, Secretary Mullen said, was asked, "Are you going to send ICE people and to polling places?" And said, "Well, the only reason why we would be at polling places is if there is a threat to that polling place or we're serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down."”Post →

Related claims

• The Department of Homeland Security stated that ICE agents would not be sent to the polls.True
• Secretary of Homeland Security Mark Wayne Mullen threatened election officials with criminal prosecution if they did not put Trump's election changes into effect.True