Arizona Republicans push for ICE at polling locations

New legislation would force county recorders and county boards of supervisors to work with federal agencies to deploy immigration officials at voting locations across Arizona.

As Arizonans brace for increased Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the state, Republicans in the legislature are working to assist the Trump administration with its violent crackdown on immigrant communities. 

New legislation from the Arizona GOP would deploy immigration officials at all polling locations during the 2026 midterm elections, a move advocacy groups say would inevitably lead to voter intimidation.

Senate Bill 1570, sponsored by state Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), would force county recorders and county boards of supervisors to enter into written agreements with federal immigration agencies to ensure a presence at every voting location across the state, including at ballot drop-off boxes. 

Under SB 1570, immigration officials would be present “during all hours in which voting is conducted or ballots are deposited,” including at early voting locations, election day polling places, and ballot drop box locations.

The bill text clarifies that immigration officials would be allowed to observe election activities and “perform lawful duties,” but cannot “interfere with the casting or depositing of ballots except as otherwise authorized by law.” 

Cesar Fierros, communications director for LUCHA, a local immigration advocacy group, called the legislation a “blatant voter suppression law.”

“This law is about advancing a voter suppression agenda, and they’re using Arizona as a testing ground to see what they can get away with,” Fierros said. “If this law were to pass, there will be rapid racial profiling of people of color. People they suspect to be immigrants or non-citizens will be pulled out of line and will be prevented from voting.”

While the bill states federal officials cannot question, detain, or arrest voters in order to determine voter eligibility, it leaves the door open to that, with a clause stating, “except as otherwise allowed under state or federal law.”

Federal law already prohibits “any troops or armed men at any place where a general or special election is held,” from being present at voting locations, unless if “necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” 

If the bill proceeds, it would almost certainly be met with legal pushback.

In a press release, Hoffman lauded his legislation as a necessity to strengthen Arizona’s elections.

“Arizonans deserve to know that election laws are not just written in statute but actually enforced in practice,” Hoffman said. “For too long, confusion, inconsistency, and a lack of visible accountability have fueled doubts about how elections are administered. The intent is to deter violations before they happen, ensure existing laws are followed, and protect the rights of every lawful voter.”

It’s unclear what violations Hoffman is referring to. Despite claims of widespread voter fraud and “rigged elections,” spread by President Donald Trump and other top Republicans, studies show that noncitizen voting is extremely rare.

Joel Edman, strategic initiatives director for Progress Arizona, a progressive advocacy group, called the legislation a “racist waste of time.”

“The only way for them [Republicans] to hold on to power is to scare people away from voting,” Edman said. “This is part of an overall strategy, along with ramping up talking about the SAVE Act and other tactics to try to discourage people, [making] people think their vote won’t count, or they may actually be put in danger if they go to vote”

The SAVE Act, a bill recently passed by the US House and backed by President Trump, would require voters to provide proof-of-citizenship, like a passport or birth certificate, when registering to vote and to show an acceptable form of photo ID when casting their ballots. 

Advocacy groups are sounding the alarm that this sweeping bill would disenfranchise millions of voters, including married women and LGBTQ people, whose names no longer match their original birth certifications. While the bill is unlikely to pass the US Senate, it represents just another effort by Republicans to make it harder to vote and alter the make-up of the electorate. 

SB 1570 was re-written as a strike-through amendment, which allows for members of the legislature to make last minute and drastic changes to originally proposed legislation, sometimes to circumvent deadlines for the introduction of new legislation.

Under President Trump, arrests of Latino people by ICE have skyrocketed, with Latinos making up nine out of ten ICE arrests during the first six months of 2025. 

That’s why advocacy groups are sounding the alarm that in a state like Arizona, which is home to a large Latino and Spanish-speaking population, federal presence at polling locations would amount to voter intimidation and racial profiling at the polls. 

“They’re trying to put in people’s heads the idea that there may be federal agents at the polls. Given what we’ve seen across the country, everybody has reason to fear interacting with ICE or other federal agencies,” Edman said. “The goal is just an overall intimidation tactic.” 

If the legislation passes, it would likely be vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs. Still, Edman said the legislation highlights Republicans “desperation” to hold onto their positions of power.

“The bill is going to get vetoed, I’m confident in that,” he said. “But the goal is trying to put in people’s minds that somehow this election might be different than others in the past, trying to scare people away because they know that when we all come together, a bunch of them [Republicans] are about to lose their positions. This is a plea of desperation”