Former White House strategist Steve Bannon suggested that the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to assist at airports could serve as a “test run” for the 2026 midterm elections.
On Monday, Bannon spoke with conservative lawyer Mike Davis on his “War Room” program about ICE officers helping at airports.
He asked, “We can use what’s happening with these ICE [officers] helping out at the airports, we can use this as a test run, as a test case to really perfect ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterm elections, sir?”
Davis responded, “Yeah, I think we should have ICE agents at the polling places, because if you’re an illegal alien, you can’t vote, right? It’s against the law, it’s a federal crime for you to vote in federal elections.”
He added, “And so, if you’re an American citizen, you should be happy that ICE is there, because you’re not going to have illegal aliens canceling out your vote.”
Bannon, who worked with President Donald Trump, added, “Pick ‘em out of line starting today, and maybe the lines will get shorter,” and later called the move “perfect training for the fall of 2026” because ICE officers are “trained to, wait for it, check IDs.”
ICE Assists TSA Amid Airport Shortages
White House border czar Tom Homan said, ICE officers assisted the Transportation Security Administration at airports to ease long security lines during staffing shortages, but they did not operate X-ray machines or perform passenger screenings.
ICE officers monitored exits and other airport areas, allowing TSA agents to focus on screenings.
Trump announced his support and praised Homan’s efforts, while criticizing Democrats for withholding funding.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) criticized the deployment, calling Trump “incompetent” and accusing him of using ICE as a “one playbook” solution, highlighting long airport lines in posts on X.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) also criticized the administration, linking ICE’s airport role to high gas prices and rising tensions in the Middle East.
He said that travelers faced long waits under untrained ICE agents while American troops were preparing for deployment.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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