White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday she can’t promise Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents won’t be “around a polling location” when Americans vote in the 2026 midterm elections.
At a Feb. 5 briefing, a reporter pressed Leavitt on whether ICE could have a presence at polling places in November, after former Trump adviser Steve Bannon claimed on his podcast earlier this week, “We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November.”
Leavitt said she has not heard President Donald Trump discuss anything like that.
“That’s not something I’ve ever heard the president consider, no,” she said when asked if Bannon’s suggestion is on Trump’s radar.
But when the reporter asked if she could “guarantee” ICE would not interfere with voters, Leavitt declined to make that assurance.
“I can’t guarantee that an ICE agent won’t be around a polling location in November,” she said, calling the question “a very silly, hypothetical” scenario. She added that she has not heard the president discuss “any formal plans to put ICE outside of polling locations.”
The 2026 midterm elections — with every House seat and 33 Senate seats on the ballot — are scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
The exchange comes as ICE’s role in high-profile events has drawn public scrutiny in recent months, including speculation about whether the agency would be active around Super Bowl 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 8.
After earlier statements from Department of Homeland Security officials that suggested otherwise, the agency recently told the Super Bowl host committee that ICE is not planning immigration enforcement during the NFL championship game.
ICE operations have also become a flashpoint in broader political controversy. Following protests in Minneapolis after the fatal shootings of ICE observers Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, a Team USA hospitality venue tied to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics has been rebranded.
The space, once known as The Ice House, was renamed The Winter House, according to a joint statement from U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and U.S. Speedskating.
“Our hospitality concept was designed to be a private space free of distractions where athletes, their families, and friends can come together to celebrate the unique experience of the Winter Games,” the organizations said. “This name captures that vision and connects to the season and the event.”
ICE agents are expected to provide diplomatic security at the 2026 Winter Olympics and are reportedly not set to enforce immigration overseas. Still, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala criticized the agency, calling ICE “a militia that kills,” and said “they are not welcome in Milan.”
