Democratic lawmakers in the Pennsylvania Senate recently introduced legislation prohibiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials from being within 100 feet of polling locations and ballot return sites come November.
“ ICE operates with a budget larger than most of the world’s militaries. Their ranks have grown, and their operations have become more aggressive,” State Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) said at a press conference in Harrisburg on Tuesday.
“All of us have witnessed on our televisions and our phones and in our communities the use of tear gas and violence against those who seek to uphold the rights that all of us have here as people on US soil.”
Pennsylvania law currently prohibits active duty law enforcement officers from being within 100 feet, and Saval wants to extend those regulations to federal immigration officers so Pennsylvanians aren’t left feeling intimidated or vulnerable when casting their votes.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said during his confirmation hearing that ICE officials may be sent to polling locations to deal with specific threats. Recently, Steve Bannon, a longtime ally to President Donald Trump, went even further. He said that sending ICE to airports was a “a test case, to really perfect ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterms.” But experts at the Brennan Center for Justice argue that it is already illegal for ICE agents to be present at polling places.
The Brennan Center argues that neither ICE nor DHS has a role in overseeing elections, and federal law prohibits troops or armed agents from being deployed to where an election is being held.
“ Senate Bill 1357 covers polling locations, ballot drop boxes, and vote-by-mail counters,” State Sen. Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) said.
“Eligible Pennsylvanians must be allowed to vote without fear or interference, and that includes intimidation from law enforcement. It is essential to our democracy”
SB 1357 is part of a larger policy initiative launched by Pennsylvania Senate Democrats that aims to protect Pennsylvania residents and prohibit ICE from carrying out unwarranted arrests on, or near, commonwealth owned or leased property.
“ Our ‘ICE Out of Pennsylvania’ legislative package wraps around our communities with meaningful protections,” Saval said.
“It safeguards sensitive locations like schools and polling places. It strengthens accountability mechanisms and upholds our constitutional rights, and it creates pathways for people to seek justice when those rights are violated.”
