Federal Election Interference at the Polls Challenge (Arlington)

A pro-voting lawsuit seeking to stop the Trump administration from deploying armed federal agents to polling places during the midterm elections.

Background

The County Board of Arlington, Virginia, filed a lawsuit in federal court against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to block them from deploying federal agents at any election site in Arlington County. The Board alleges that the Trump administration has made clear that it has “adopted a set of policies that authorize armed federal agents to invade polling places,” and that these threats “force[] Arlington’s local government to plan for and expand resources to address the possibility of unlawful activity and the reasonable fears of voters and election workers.” The county alleges that federal agents being deployed at polling places violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), federal law prohibiting troops and armed federal agents at the polls, and the U.S. Constitution.

Why it matters

ICE has been involved in many high-profile incidents and deaths in the past year and a half, including the arrests and killings of American citizens. Leading up to the midterms, officials throughout the Trump administration have publicly suggested ICE could be deployed at polling places, despite a federal law prohibiting the presence of armed federal officers at the polls. ICE agents’ presence at voting sites could intimidate lawful voters from participating in the midterm elections and disrupt election administration and the voting process.

Latest Updates:

• Oct. 20, 2026: Plaintiff filed their complaint.