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# Election supervisors were promised no immigration agents at polls. Then Trump's CBP agents arrived.
- URL: https://www.workersrights.news/border-patrol-florida-early-voting-sites/
- Published: 2026-10-23T15:57:13.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T15:57:13.000Z
- Description: The FBI had told Florida election officials there would be no immigration enforcement at polling places this year.
- Author: WorkersRights.News Team
- Tags: Politics

Two Florida election supervisors have asked the FBI to look into federal immigration agents showing up at early-voting sites in the first days of voting for the Nov. 3 midterms.

In Leon County, Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley said two U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicles parked at the Northeast Branch Library in Tallahassee, the county's busiest early-voting site, around 10:15 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, the first day of early voting there. The vehicles stayed about 10 minutes, [WCTV reported](https://www.wctv.tv/2026/10/22/leon-co-supervisor-elections-says-2-border-patrol-vehicles-seen-early-voting-site-monday/?ref=workersrights.news). In Monroe County, Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies said she opened an investigation after reports of masked federal agents conducting a stop at a Key Largo polling place on Tuesday, according to the [News Service of Florida](https://www.cfpublic.org/politics/2026-10-22/immigration-enforcement-agents-reported-at-early-voting-sites-in-florida?ref=workersrights.news).

## What the supervisors said

Earley filed a formal complaint with the FBI, which he said is "taking this very seriously." He called the visit "very unfortunate" and said, "Voters should never experience intimidation from anyone when they are voting." His office got no calls from voters about it.

In Monroe County, [Newsweek reported](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/border-patrol-early-voting-florida-113613157.html?ref=workersrights.news) that Hodies said in an Instagram video that CBP told her its agents were arresting a suspect who had pulled onto the same street as the voting site. That explanation comes from CBP through Hodies, and we could not confirm it independently.

As of Friday, neither CBP nor the Department of Homeland Security had publicly explained the Leon County visit, and the FBI had not said whether it opened an investigation. The FBI told them at their statewide conference this year that there would be no immigration enforcement at polling places, and Brevard County Supervisor Tim Bobanic said they were told "time and time again" there were no such plans in Florida, [CBS Miami reported](https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/leon-monroe-counties-federal-agents-early-voting-sites-fbi-contacted/?ref=workersrights.news).

Thomas Kennedy of the Florida Immigrant Coalition said the activity was "completely unnecessary" and that "it smells and feels like an intimidation tactic," according to the [News Service of Florida via WUSF](https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2026-10-22/immigration-enforcement-spotted-at-early-voting-polls-in-florida?ref=workersrights.news).

## What federal law says

Under [18 U.S.C. § 592](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/592?ref=workersrights.news), anyone in the civil, military or naval service of the United States who brings or keeps "troops or armed men" at a polling place commits a crime, "unless such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States." The penalty is up to five years in prison and a ban from federal office. A companion law, [18 U.S.C. § 593](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/593?ref=workersrights.news), bars members of the armed forces from interfering with voters or election officers.

Intimidating voters is a separate crime. [18 U.S.C. § 594](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/594?ref=workersrights.news) punishes anyone who intimidates, threatens or coerces a person to interfere with their vote in a federal election, and [52 U.S.C. § 10101(b)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/52/10101?ref=workersrights.news) bars the same conduct by anyone, "whether acting under color of law or otherwise."

## Part of a pattern

In Missouri, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations office posted in September that its agents were investigating suspected unlawful voting in St. Louis, [St. Louis Public Radio reported](https://stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2026-10-22/ice-agents-investigate-missouri-voter-fraud-midterm-elections?ref=workersrights.news). Armed federal agents have also been [knocking on doors in six states](https://www.workersrights.news/armed-hsi-agents-knock-doors-noncitizen-voters-six-states/) asking residents whether they voted, until a federal judge [blocked DHS voter-fraud field operations in nine states](https://www.workersrights.news/judge-blocks-dhs-voter-fraud-field-operations-nine-states/), Missouri among them. The NAACP has separately [sued over threats](https://www.workersrights.news/naacp-sues-doj-poll-monitors-voter-intimidation/) to send armed agents to the polls.

## If you see agents at your polling place

Keep your place in line and vote. Tell a poll worker, then call your county supervisor of elections. You can also call the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at [866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)](https://866ourvote.org/?ref=workersrights.news), or 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) in Spanish. Write down the time, the place and any vehicle or agency markings you see.

### Sources

- [Federal agents allegedly seen near early voting sites in two Florida counties; election supervisors contact FBI](https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/leon-monroe-counties-federal-agents-early-voting-sites-fbi-contacted/?ref=workersrights.news) — CBS Miami
- [Leon Co. Supervisor of Elections says 2 Border Patrol vehicles seen at early voting site Monday](https://www.wctv.tv/2026/10/22/leon-co-supervisor-elections-says-2-border-patrol-vehicles-seen-early-voting-site-monday/?ref=workersrights.news) — WCTV
- [Immigration enforcement agents reported at early voting sites in Florida](https://www.cfpublic.org/politics/2026-10-22/immigration-enforcement-agents-reported-at-early-voting-sites-in-florida?ref=workersrights.news) — Central Florida Public Media (News Service of Florida)
- [Immigration enforcement spotted at early voting polls in Florida](https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2026-10-22/immigration-enforcement-spotted-at-early-voting-polls-in-florida?ref=workersrights.news) — WUSF (News Service of Florida)
- [Border patrol at early voting site in Florida prompts FBI complaint](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/border-patrol-early-voting-florida-113613157.html?ref=workersrights.news) — Newsweek via Yahoo News
- [With midterms looming, ICE agents investigate suspected voter fraud across Missouri](https://stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2026-10-22/ice-agents-investigate-missouri-voter-fraud-midterm-elections?ref=workersrights.news) — St. Louis Public Radio
- [18 U.S. Code § 592 - Troops at polls](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/592?ref=workersrights.news) — Cornell Legal Information Institute
- [18 U.S. Code § 593 - Interference by armed forces](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/593?ref=workersrights.news) — Cornell Legal Information Institute
- [18 U.S. Code § 594 - Intimidation of voters](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/594?ref=workersrights.news) — Cornell Legal Information Institute
- [52 U.S. Code § 10101 - Voting rights](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/52/10101?ref=workersrights.news) — Cornell Legal Information Institute
- [Election Protection hotline](https://866ourvote.org/?ref=workersrights.news) — Election Protection / Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law