DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek, a Democrat from Glen Ellyn seeking re-election in 2026, has issued another warning about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at polling places as part of a series of public statements that observers say are unfounded because illegal immigrants cannot vote.
In a video message to voters, Kaczmarek, who is tasked with overseeing DuPage County’s elections, made claims that are not backed up by ICE about its presence at polling places.
“In DuPage County, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE will not be allowed to interfere with DuPage County elections in any way,” Kaczmarek said in the video.
Kaczmarek said that it’s illegal for federal agents or troops to interfere with elections and punishable by up to five years in prison.
Former state representative and AM560 radio host Jeanne Ives reacted to Kaczmarek’s video in a post on X.
“She’s never at the office, has her underlings run things, lost millions of dollars for taxpayers, gave raises that were not properly determined, and is completely incompetent. Democrats don’t even like her, but they all circle the wagons when it comes to making stuff up about ICE and bashing Trump,” Ives said.
LibsofTikTok questioned the intent of Kaczmarek’s alert.
“If illegals are not voting, then why would anyone care if ICE is near a polling place?” LibsofTikTok said on X linking to Kaczmarek’s video.
LibsofTikTok also noted Kaczmarek’s office, “offers resources for finding ‘alternate’ polling places if people see ICE agents.”
LibsofTikTok posted on X criticizing DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek for her alerts about ICE
at polling places during the 2026 primary election. (X / LibsofTikTok)
Despite Kaczmarek’s claims, the Trump administration has stated it has no plans to deploy immigration agents to polling locations. Last month, the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol told a congressional committee, “No, sir,” when asked if they intended to guard polling places.
Heather Honey, the Department of Homeland Security’s deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, also told secretaries of state that “it is simply not true” that immigration agents will be at the polls this year.
Still, Kaczmarek announced a hotline for reporting potential ICE presence, promising her office would “alert volunteer rapid responders on the streets, contact election judges instantly with our poll pads, and use social media to get the word out to the people of DuPage County.”
She also emphasized that the county was “the first county in Illinois to implement VOTE ANYWHERE on Election Day,” allowing ballots to be cast at any of 248 polling locations.
Similarly on March 3, Kaczmarek issued a forceful warning to ICE not to interfere in local elections. “ICE, go away. Do not even try. You will fail,” Kaczmarek said in a press release.
Several Democrat-led states are moving to bar federal immigration agents from polling locations despite reassurance from government officials. Measures aimed at ICE have been introduced or passed only in blue states including California, Connecticut, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington.
Kristina McCloy, founder of Concerned Parents of Illinois, questioned why Kaczmarek and other Democrats are issuing such statements if illegal immigrants are not voting.
“Why is Democrat DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek so worried about ICE at polling places if illegal aliens supposedly can’t vote in our elections anyway?” McCloy said in a Facebook post. “Maybe DuPage County residents should be more concerned about what’s happening inside Jean Kaczmarek’s own office.”
Kaczmarek’s tenure has faced repeated scrutiny over alleged voter registration errors, questionable vote counts, and delays in filing paperwork for millions of dollars in marijuana tax revenue. In late 2025, the DuPage County Board censured her for defying financial oversight, failing to follow accounting rules and obstructing budget management, citing a budget shortfall, delayed vendor payments and increasing her staff’s salary by over 40% over the past five years.
Her office has also been criticized for partisanship.
Longtime Republican election judge Carol Davis claimed she was barred from serving by Kaczmarek in 2022 after raising concerns about election procedures.
“Jean Kaczmarek should be far more concerned about the investigation into her own conduct than lecturing DuPage residents about elections and grandstanding about ICE at the polls. DuPage taxpayers deserve answers about what is happening inside her office,” McCloy wrote.
