Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's remarks that ICE agents could turn up at polling places this November appalled MS NOW's Molly Jong-Fast, who called the remarks "insane."
Reacting Wednesday on Money, Power, Politics, Jong-Fast said the country had reached an absurd point, with Democrats now scrambling to guarantee that armed federal agents won't be stationed at the polls.
"I think it's important to pause for a moment and just say, this is insane, right? We're trying to make sure they don't send armed guards to polling places. The fact that we've even gotten here is kind of nuts."
She added, "This is not how any of this is supposed to work" and a stark reminder why Americans have to show up to vote.
Her reaction followed comments Mullin made Tuesday at a New York City news conference, where the DHS chief insisted immigration officers generally wouldn't patrol polling sites.
"ICE isn't there to patrol the polling places," he said, but left the door open. "The only reason why we would be at polling places is if there is a threat to that polling place or we're serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down," Mullin said.
Democrats and voting-rights groups warn that sending armed federal agents to the polls would break federal law and chill turnout in immigrant communities. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) has demanded written commitments that the administration won't station agents at the polls or seize election materials, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine has already assured her the military has "no plans" to deploy to polling places or grab ballots.
Mullin's remarks have raised alarms that it's just one more piece of Trump's broad push to rig the midterms as the president who urges Republicans to "nationalize" the vote, and has declined to rule out federal agents at the polls.