Kevin Coyne, DuPage County GOP chair, said DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek’s warnings about ICE at polling places are pure grandstanding that insult law enforcement and expose the political motivations behind the effort.
“The Clerk’s position is about grandstanding, not public safety,” Coyne told the DuPage Policy Journal. “If no illegal residents are voting illegally, why in the world would anyone care if ICE agents showed up at the polls? This is just another example of the political left trying to advance themselves by demonizing law enforcement. It’s tired, self-indulgent, and is an insult to every man and woman who wears a badge.”
Several Democrat-led states have been advancing legislation to restrict or ban federal immigration enforcement near polling places, citing concerns about potential federal overreach in elections. Existing federal law already limits armed personnel at voting sites, and the Department of Homeland Security has stated there are no plans to deploy ICE to the polls, according to Stateline.
When questioned before Congress, ICE and Border Patrol leaders replied, “No, sir,” and DHS election integrity official Heather Honey stated, “It is simply not true” that agents would be stationed at the polls.
As the March 17 primary approached, Kaczmarek issued a video warning that ICE would not be permitted to interfere with DuPage County elections in any way, stating: “In DuPage County, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not be allowed to interfere with DuPage County elections in any way.”
She followed with a press release declaring “ICE, go away. Do not even try. You will fail,” dismissing as a myth the notion that non-citizens cast ballots on Election Day.
Kaczmarek also set up a hotline for residents to report ICE sightings and noted the county allows voters to cast ballots at any of its 248 polling locations through its “Vote Anywhere” system.
In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson backed a proposal to create “Democracy Zones” banning immigration enforcement within 100 feet of polling sites. Opponents, including 15th Ward Alderman Ray Lopez, said the effort was one that “seeks an answer to a problem that doesn’t exist” and raised potential First Amendment concerns.
“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 echoed the skepticism.
“If illegals are not voting, then why would anyone care if ICE is near a polling place?” Libs of TikTok said on X.
Former GOP committeeman Terry Newsome flagged a registration error in DuPage County that nearly prevented him from voting, after all five members of his household had their last names entered incorrectly in the voter database as “Updatesome” instead of Newsome.
Kaczmarek’s office has drawn criticism beyond her ICE warnings. Former state representative Jeanne Ives called her “completely incompetent,” while election integrity advocate Carol Davis said Kaczmarek is “throwing red meat to the Democrat base because she is in jeopardy of losing her seat as county clerk.”
In 2025, the DuPage County Board censured Kaczmarek’s office over financial mismanagement, including delayed vendor payments, a budget shortfall, and a 40% increase in staff salaries over five years.
She is also currently under criminal investigation by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office for allegations including no-bid contracts totaling roughly $229,000 and mismanagement of election-related spending.
Kaczmarek was defeated in the March 17 Democratic primary by Paula Deacon Garcia, who received 54,761 votes compared to Kaczmarek’s 42,670, based on unofficial results with all precincts reporting.
Garcia will advance to the November general election against Republican Patricia Kladis-Schiappa, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary.
