Blanche: ‘Why is there objection to sending ICE officers to polling places?’

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared to back the idea of sending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to polling places. “Why is there an objection to sending ICE to polling stations?” Blanche said Thursday during a conversation at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “Illegals can’t vote. It doesn’t make any sense.” There is little evidence to back GOP claims that noncitizens are voting in U.S. elections. Reviews have found just a handful of instances where noncitizens have attempted to vote in U.S. elections, countering GOP claims of widespread fraud. A Brennan Center study from the 2016 general election found an estimated 30 incidents of suspected, but not confirmed, cases of noncitizen votes out of 23.5 million ballots cast, roughly 0.0001 percent of the vote. Democrats have been clear they see any such move as an intimidation tactic while questioning why armed agents would be needed near polling places. “These are all tools of how the president is trying to think about a much larger plan, which is, if you cannot hold onto power through democratic elections, then adjust democratic elections,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said during a recent appearance on CNN. DHS officials have given conflicting answers over whether ICE officers might be stationed at polling places. In a recent call with secretaries of state, a DHS official called plans of placing agents at polling sites “misinformation.” In other congressional appearances, officials have said there are no plans to do so at the time. Still, a growing number of Trump officials have backed the idea of sending ICE to the polls, and the country saw their officers dispatched to airports this week. “Bottom line is, what are they afraid of? And they say illegal aliens don’t vote. Well, look, you know, part of DHS’ job is secure elections, and I’m not going to say, you know, you know, what our plan is going forward, but if only U.S. citizens can vote, I don’t see the issue of what they’re concerned about,” border czar Tom Homan told the hosts of “The Charlie Kirk Show” this week, referencing the Department of Homeland Security.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared to back the idea of sending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to polling places.

“Why is there an objection to sending ICE to polling stations?” Blanche said Thursday during a conversation at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “Illegals can’t vote. It doesn’t make any sense.”

There is little evidence to back GOP claims that noncitizens are voting in U.S. elections. Reviews have found just a handful of instances where noncitizens have attempted to vote in U.S. elections, countering GOP claims of widespread fraud.

A Brennan Center study from the 2016 general election found an estimated 30 incidents of suspected, but not confirmed, cases of noncitizen votes out of 23.5 million ballots cast, roughly 0.0001 percent of the vote.

Democrats have been clear they see any such move as an intimidation tactic while questioning why armed agents would be needed near polling places.

“These are all tools of how the president is trying to think about a much larger plan, which is, if you cannot hold onto power through democratic elections, then adjust democratic elections,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said during a recent appearance on CNN.

DHS officials have given conflicting answers over whether ICE officers might be stationed at polling places.

In a recent call with secretaries of state, a DHS official called plans of placing agents at polling sites “misinformation.” In other congressional appearances, officials have said there are no plans to do so at the time.

Still, a growing number of Trump officials have backed the idea of sending ICE to the polls, and the country saw their officers dispatched to airports this week.

“Bottom line is, what are they afraid of? And they say illegal aliens don’t vote. Well, look, you know, part of DHS’ job is secure elections, and I’m not going to say, you know, you know, what our plan is going forward, but if only U.S. citizens can vote, I don’t see the issue of what they’re concerned about,” border czar Tom Homan told the hosts of “The Charlie Kirk Show” this week, referencing the Department of Homeland Security.

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