ICE Officers Told to Avoid Arrests on Election Day
ICE officers received verbal instructions to avoid street arrests on Election Day, sources say.
3 min read
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers across the country were reportedly instructed to take a lighter approach to arrests on Election Day, according to three ICE sources. The orders, which were not formally written, were given verbally and emphasized avoiding public enforcement actions that could be seen as politically motivated.
Verbal Orders to Reduce Enforcement
One ICE source described Tuesday as “an easy day” for officers, noting they were told not to arrest illegal immigrants on the streets but to focus on those being transferred from local jails. Another source mentioned the temporary halt on vehicle stops, a measure previously used after officer-involved shootings in Texas and Maine.
“They said no lights or vehicle stops,” one agency source said, adding that they were still making arrests of illegal immigrants caught exiting their vehicles. The source expressed frustration with the political nature of the decisions, stating, “I wish they would stay on it. It’s all political, but I get why they say rest because some guys are wild. They don’t want anything that would look bad, like another agent hitting someone with their car.”
DHS Response and Arrests
In a statement to The Daily Wire, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said the agency “enforces the laws of the nation across the country … every single day,” including on Election Day. The spokesperson also shared the names and rap sheets of five criminal illegal immigrants ICE arrested on Tuesday.
The list included Mexican illegal immigrant Jaime Ramirez-Almaraz, who had convictions for burglary and aggravated assault with a weapon. ICE agents in Miami also arrested Jesus Moreno-Lucio, of Mexico, who had a previous conviction for attempted murder and aggravated battery in Naples, Florida.
Down in New Orleans, ICE officers took Mexican national Daniel Martinez-Guerrero, who had convictions for aggravated assault with a weapon in Nashville, Tennessee, into custody. In Newark, the agency nabbed Ezequiel Mendez-Mendez, a Mexican man with a prior conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing bodily injury.
ICE agents in St. Paul, Minnesota, also arrested Guatemalan illegal immigrant Kevin Ramirez-Gomez, who was convicted of child molestation.
Political Motivations and Public Response
An agency source said the motivation for the Election Day orders was politics. “We don’t want to give the left any reason or idea that we’re interfering somehow or intimidating people on Election Day.”
On Tuesday, ICE posted a warning on X to those voting illegally in the election. “We will track you down, arrest you, and prosecute you. There will be no escape,” the agency wrote.
If YOU show up to the polls illegally, we will find you. We will track you down, arrest you, and prosecute you. There will be no escape.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) responded to the post, threatening to arrest any ICE agents who showed up to the polls. “If YOU show up to the polls illegally, we will find you. We will track you down, arrest you, and prosecute you. There will be no escape,” Newsom wrote.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that ICE was not sent to guard the polls. “We didn’t,” Mullin said. “That’s your guys that’s saying that. We’ve never said that.”
“If there was threats that would be different,” he said. In September, Mullin said that if ICE showed up to the polls it would be “if there is a threat … or we’re serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down.”
Source: Daily Wire
