Will ICE agents play a role in the 2026 US midterm elections?

Since returning to office for a second term, United States President Donald Trump has embarked on a campaign to root out and deport the country’s undocumented immigrants.Spearheading that campaign is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a federal agency housed in the Department of Homeland Security.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump administration sues California over noncitizens on voter rollslist 2 of 3Key takeaways from Donald Trump’s controversial speech on election securitylist 3 of 3Homeland Security Secretary Mullin reiterates Trump threats about electionsend of listUnder Trump, the agency has grown substantially, boasting 22,000 officers and agents as of January, a staffing increase of 120 percent.Thanks to recent spending packages, ICE is also considered the best-funded federal law enforcement agency in the US.But the agency, founded in 2003, has come under increased scrutiny for its aggressive tactics and expedited hiring techniques.Immigration agents, under the authority of ICE and other agencies, have been responsible for at least 25 shootings since the start of Trump’s second term, six of which have been fatal. At least 60 people have also died i...