Civil rights coalition files federal lawsuit challenging threatened use of ICE and federal law enforcement at polling locations

WASHINGTON- Nine organizations representing immigrants, communities of color, and workers - the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Mi Familia en Accion, OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, the National Urban League, Minnesota 8 (MN8), the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the International Union of Painters (IUPAT), and the United Food and Commercial Workers International (UFCW)- filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the administration's actions and statements that have put voters of color in reasonable fear that they will face federal interference when they go to vote, thereby chilling their participation in the upcoming midterm elections. The plaintiffs are represented by the Legal Defense Fund, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Protect Democracy, and Democracy Defenders Fund.

This lawsuit aims to protect and strengthen the freedom to vote, helping ensure that all communities can fully participate in our democracy with confidence.

The complaint documents how the federal government has asserted authority for armed agents to operate in the vicinity of voting locations, dismantled internal agency guardrails against election interference, and made unprecedented attempts to assert federal executive power over election administration. The result is predictable: voters across the country - especially Black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, immigrant, and naturalized citizen voters as well as voters from mixed-status families - fear questioning, arrest, detention, surveillance, or use of force by federal agents while casting their ballot on Election Day, conducting voter registration, or serving as an election official. Such harms violate Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits intimidation, threats, and coercion of people for voting or attempting to vote, as well as people who encourage or assist others in voting.

The lawsuit comes amid repeated assertions from federal officials across the administration about potentially deploying federal law enforcement in the vicinity of polling locations during the 2026 midterm elections. In the past year, the federal government has also repeatedly circumvented, or disregarded the law in carrying out arrests, investigations, and immigration enforcement actions.

Against that backdrop, the federal government's statements threatening the presence of immigration agents and other law enforcement at polling locations undermine public confidence and deters eligible voters from participating in our democracy. The lawsuit calls on the courts to definitively prohibit the federal government's threatened use of law enforcement at or around polling places.

Co-Counsel Statements

"All American voters have the sacred right to have a voice in our democracy, and should be able to exercise that right freely and without fear," said Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund. "Using federal law enforcement as a scare tactic to target and intimidate Black communities is illegal and antithetical to the promise of a multiracial democracy that was enshrined in the Voting Rights Act. Neither Black, Latino, Asian, or any other voters nor any other communities should ever again face the threats of terror and intimidation at the ballot box that defined the Jim Crow era."

"When the federal government puts fear between people and the ballot box, that is voter intimidation-plain and simple," said Bethany Li, Executive Director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. "We are experiencing a level of voter intimidation like we haven't seen since the civil rights era, when local governments and the KKK openly intimidated Black voters. This time, it is the federal government ordering ICE and other federal law enforcement to intimidate naturalized citizen voters and immigrant communities. In 2026, voters should not have to choose between their safety and their right to vote."

"Election season political games are nothing new, but this administration has crossed a dangerous line undertaking a series of actions designed to target and terrify Latino voters," said Lourdes M. Rosado, President and General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF. "Our community will not stand for lies about non-citizens voting in any substantial number, threats to deploy ICE at sensitive election locations, violent immigration enforcement tactics, and absence of safeguards against targeting naturalized and other American citizens. Congress prohibited voter intimidation in the Voting Rights Act at a time when the KKK terrorized Black voters, and it is shameful that today these protections are needed to stop our own federal government's reign of terror."

"Threatening, suggesting, or even hinting that ICE and other armed federal agents will be deployed to polling locations, contrary to federal law, is voter intimidation, plain and simple," said Kica Matos, President of the National Immigration Law Center. "We will not be intimidated. When our right to vote is under attack, it is up to all of us to defend it. Let us make our voices heard at the ballot box and remind President Trump that voters pick our leaders and decide our future - not the other way around."

"Instilling fear around voting is part of a broader strategy from the authoritarian playbook this Administration uses to disrupt our democracy," said Hayden Johnson, Counsel at Protect Democracy. "We've seen communities join peacefully together to defend their rights over the last year and a half in the face of incursions from federal agents, and November will be no different."

"Our laws prohibit intimidation or threats against any person exercising their right to vote. Deploying federal agents to polling places is unlawful and part of a broad scheme to deter eligible voters from making their voices heard," said Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), Executive Chair and Co-Founder of Democracy Defenders Fund. "This is a dangerous tactic in a long list of them by this administration intended to pre-determine the outcome of our elections."

"The Trump administration has been waging a campaign to undermine American elections, and their insinuations that federal law enforcement agents might be at the polls this November are part of that effort," said Jasleen Singh, Senior Counsel and Manager in the Brennan Center's Democracy Program. "We're bringing this lawsuit so that voters are protected against intimidation and can have their voices heard."

Plaintiff Quotes

"We reject this administration's attempt to desecrate our polling sites by converting them into militarized zones through the unlawful deployment of ICE or any other federal agent," said Kristen Clarke, NAACP General Counsel. "The Voting Rights Act prohibits intimidation tactics that stand to deny and deter voters from exercising their voice and their rights. As a nation, we have no need for armed presence at polling locations - our elections are safe and transparent, which has been the hallmark of our democracy. Turning the fundamental right of exercising our vote into a high-stakes encounter with the militarized strong arm of the current administration isn't protection and it isn't oversight; it's disenfranchisement, period. The NAACP calls on the court to reject this blatant attempt by federal officials to obstruct our elections through tactics pulled straight from the Jim Crow playbook."

"Communities of color and immigrant communities have the right to vote, organize, and participate in our democracy without federal government intimidation," said Thu Nguyen, Executive Director of OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates. "The right to vote is the right to have a voice in the country we call home. Our communities should not have to fear that participating in our democracy could lead to baseless investigations, intimidation, or violence. We are asking the courts to give our communities the certainty they deserve that they will be able to safely exercise their right to vote on Election Day."

"Voter intimidation is illegal, whether it comes from a mob outside the polling place or from the federal government itself," said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. "Threatening to station ICE agents or other federal law enforcement near voting locations is a transparent attempt to sow fear, suppress participation, and silence communities whose voices are essential to a healthy democracy. Black Americans know the painful history of efforts to intimidate voters and deny equal access to the ballot. We will not allow those tactics to be repackaged for a new era. The National Urban League is proud to stand with our partners in defense of every American's right to vote freely, safely, and without intimidation."

"Latino voters have the same fundamental right as every American to cast their ballots freely and without intimidation. The presence of federal law enforcement at or near polling places risks creating fear and confusion, particularly in Latino and immigrant communities," said Hector Sanchez Barba, President and CEO of Mi Familia en Acción. "Our message to Latino voters is clear: do not be intimidated. Know your rights, make a plan to vote, and make your voice heard. Mi Familia Vota will be on the ground in our communities working to protect access to the ballot and ensure every eligible Latino voter can exercise their right to vote safely and confidently."

"Deploying federal agents to strike the fear of god into voters at polling places is a tactic straight out of the authoritarian playbook," said AFT President Randi Weingarten. "It's intimidation pure and simple and has no place in a true democracy. No matter your politics, American citizens need to be able to exercise their basic democratic right without running the gauntlet of an armed, masked militia. Our goal in this lawsuit is to ensure all those eligible to vote, particularly those covered by our Civil Rights laws, can access the ballot box free from coercion and interference. These midterms, we are doing everything we can to reassure Americans voting is safe and secure. And that when they turn out, hopefully in overwhelming numbers, the will of the people cannot be denied."

"Minnesota 8 stands in steadfast solidarity with our national partners in this fight against voter intimidation," said Dieu Do, Director of Programs at Minnesota 8. "As a Southeast Asian immigrant rights organization that bore witness to Operation Metro Surge, Minnesotans understand firsthand that this lawsuit represents our collective resistance to a federal government that is threatening our democracy's future by attacking our constitutional right to vote, separating and deporting our immigrant families, and destabilizing our local communities. Our organizations will use every tool available to challenge this administration's attempts to strip our humanity."

"SEIU members are well aware of the threat of federal law enforcement at the ballot box later this fall. Our hard-working care and service workers, and the family and neighbors they'll be voting alongside, won't allow for intimidation when it comes to casting their votes," said SEIU Executive Vice President Joseph Bryant. "No eligible voter should be afraid to make their voice heard. Voting is about accountability-about building a better future for our families. When that future and our rights are threatened, our members will throw down to stop such disenfranchisement. We hope that the court will protect our workers and communities around the country."

"Over the last 18 months, the strategic deployment of federal agents has caused major disruptions for workers simply trying to provide for their families and support their communities," said UFCW International President Milton Jones. "As we approach Election Day, these illegal intimidation tactics pose another hurdle for working people trying to make their voices heard at the ballot box. Everyone deserves to be able to cast their vote free from fear."

"This is election interference pure and simple," said IUPAT General President, Jimmy Williams, Jr. "We are a democratic union and have an obligation to stand up for democratic principles whenever they are attacked. Deploying federal agents to polling sites has no place in this country, it is authoritarian fearmongering and a blatant attempt to influence our elections. Our polling sites shouldn't look like armed camps. American citizens have the right to engage in our democracy without having masked federal agents trying to deter them. Free and fair elections are a hallmark of our democracy and we cannot sit on the sidelines while this administration again attempts to game the system because they are worried about the results."

The full complaint can be read here.

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The AFT represents 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.