Raymond Lopez, Alderman for Chicago’s 15th Ward, said Democratic officials using the specter of ICE at polling places to energize their base are engaged in a cynical political exercise that avoids the real work of fixing a broken immigration system while doing nothing to advance honest election integrity reform.
“I have no idea why American citizens would be worried about ICE at or near a polling place,” Lopez told Chicago City Wire. “Furthermore, there is no factual basis for the implication that non-citizens would be at a polling place voting, participating as Election Judges, or anything else.”
Legislation aimed at keeping federal immigration agents away from polling sites has been moving through several Democrat-controlled state legislatures, with supporters framing it as a safeguard against federal overreach. Current federal law already restricts armed personnel at voting locations, and Homeland Security officials have stated publicly that deploying ICE to polling places is not part of any plan, according to Stateline.
Congressional testimony from ICE and Border Patrol leaders replied, “No, sir,” when asked about any such deployment, while DHS election integrity official Heather Honey told lawmakers the notion of agents at the polls is “simply not true.”
Ahead of the March 17 primary, DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek put her office on record opposing any ICE presence at county elections, warning in a recorded video, “In DuPage County, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not be allowed to interfere with DuPage County elections in any way.”
A subsequent press release from her office carried the message “ICE, go away. Do not even try. You will fail,” with Kaczmarek characterizing the idea of non-citizens voting on Election Day as a myth.
Her office also opened a hotline for residents to report ICE activity near polling sites, while noting that DuPage voters can participate at any of the county’s 248 locations under its “Vote Anywhere” setup.
Lopez said the pattern across the Democratic Party is unmistakable and driven entirely by political calculation.
“Nearly every Democratic candidate has sought to use the ICE boogeyman,” he said. “It is a sad attempt at scaring the public for political gain.”
Lopez said polling data is driving the posturing, not genuine policy concern.
“It is purely political,” he said. “Polling shows Democratic Primary voters want candidates who appear to be fighting with ICE. This gives them a chance to stand up without having to actually do anything to address the broken immigration process.”
In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson advanced a plan to designate “Democracy Zones” around polling sites, prohibiting immigration enforcement within a 100-foot radius. Lopez himself has been among the opponents of the initiative, calling it a measure that “seeks an answer to a problem that doesn’t exist” and warning of potential First Amendment complications.
“As much as the extreme Democratic Left and Socialists decried President Trump’s election loss conspiracies, they have proven no better,” Lopez told Chicago City Wire. “Actually, the Democratic logic is worse as it appears to build on the allegations of non-citizens participating in our American electoral process and needing protection from deportation.”
Social media critics questioned the rationale.
“If illegals are not voting, then why would anyone care if ICE is near a polling place?” Libs of TikTok said on X.
Lopez said the jurisdictional boundaries are clear, and states have an available remedy if they want to make federal intervention truly unnecessary.
“Elections are a state matter; however, enforcement of immigration policy falls upon the federal government,” he said. “If states were to create verification of citizenship for voting, it would render federal ‘interference’ unnecessary.”
Lopez said the partisan nature of the anti-ICE campaign has been on full display this election season.
“Yes, it is well documented this campaign season, the partisan nature of fighting ICE without fighting for amnesty or immigration reform,” he said.
Lopez said motor-voter laws create a real and underacknowledged vulnerability in the registration system that both sides have been unwilling to confront honestly.
“In states like Illinois that have motor-voter laws that allow a person to register to vote when getting a driver’s license, it is without question a possibility that noncitizens may in fact be registered to vote,” he said. “Refusing to recognize that reality and address it accordingly is why many conservatives claim there is a conspiracy. Oftentimes, it is the error of the DMV employees clicking without asking, especially of individuals who legally have the privilege to receive a local license.”
In DuPage County, former GOP committeeman Terry Newsome nearly lost his opportunity to vote when a database error left all five members of his household listed under the name “Updatesome” rather than Newsome in the voter rolls.
Kaczmarek faced criticism from within conservative circles that extended well beyond the ICE dispute. Former state representative Jeanne Ives described her as “completely incompetent,” and election integrity advocate Carol Davis said the clerk is “throwing red meat to the Democrat base because she is in jeopardy of losing her seat as county clerk.”
The DuPage County Board moved to censure her office in 2025 following findings of financial mismanagement, among them late vendor payments, a budget gap, and a 40% rise in staff salaries over a five-year stretch.
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office has since opened a criminal investigation into allegations of roughly $229,000 in no-bid contracts and misuse of election-related funds.
Paula Deacon Garcia defeated Kaczmarek in the March 17 Democratic primary, receiving 54,761 votes to Kaczmarek’s 42,670, according to unofficial results with all precincts reporting.
Garcia heads to the November general election to face Republican Patricia Kladis-Schiappa, who cleared the GOP primary without opposition.
Lopez said the deeper problem is a political culture on both sides that prioritizes noise over progress.
“I believe our inability to have rational, fact-based discussions from either side of the political spectrum are more damaging,” he said. “Neither Democrats nor Republicans want to have a conversation that moves the needle forward – they only want to yell and score points with their respective bases.”
Lopez represents Chicago’s 15th Ward on the City Council. First elected in 2015, he has also served as the ward’s Democratic committeeman since 2012. He focuses on constituent services, public safety, and neighborhood investment.
