Steve Bannon, the former White House strategist and rightwing podcast host, said he wants to see immigration agents at the polls in November, a proposal that election officials have feared. Bannon has no formal power, but is an influential figure on the far right and is closely tied with the Trump administration. One of those fears is that immigration agents will be near polling places or have a heavy footprint in Democratic areas on election day. Immigration agents, in particular, have caused people – including US citizens and otherwise legal residents – to stay home for fear of detention or racial profiling. The Department of Justice has requested and is suing to get access to the voter rolls in several states, and elections officials have fought back against the requests over privacy and security concerns.

Source: The Guardian February 05, 2026 02:15 UTC