Local Politics · Phoenix, AZ
Arizona Counties, Voting Groups Prepare for Possible ICE Presence at Polling Sites
Voting rights organizations and election officials across Arizona are preparing for the possibility of federal immigration agents appearing near or at polling places in November elections, despite DHS stating ICE does not plan to patrol polls. LUCHA trained hundreds of poll observers in metro Phoenix after documenting verified reports of ICE activity overlapping with voting sites, including a primary-day sighting of agents near the Cartwright School District Annex in Maryvale. The ACLU of Arizona sent letters to every county outlining federal and state laws prohibiting armed federal agents at polls, while Mi Familia en Acción and eight other groups filed a preliminary federal complaint seeking to block officers from polling locations. Pima County Attorney Laura Conover confirmed her office has litigation ready, and Pinal County conducted a tabletop exercise in Florence simulating a federal officer arriving at its election headquarters.