We have officially moved into voter intimidation territory. According to a new CBS News investigation, armed, uniformed Department of Homeland Security agents are going door to door in several states, questioning residents about their immigration status and whether they’ve registered to vote or cast ballots. The administration says it’s targeting potential noncitizen voting. But noncitizens are already prohibited by law from voting in federal elections, and the evidence of widespread voter fraud simply isn’t there.

One Brennan Center study examining 23.5 million votes across 42 jurisdictions identified just 30 suspected cases of voter fraud. That’s roughly one for every million votes. So why are federal agents knocking on people’s doors over an issue that the available evidence suggests is exceedingly rare? A federal judge was likely confused as well, since they ruled Wednesday that these operations likely violate the Voting Rights Act and ordered restrictions on the practice in nine states under specified circumstances.

The judge also warned of a high likelihood of error in the government’s process for identifying potential targets. Let’s talk about all the errors that could be made here. A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services whistleblower reported that employees were expected to review 40 people a day, spending roughly 12 minutes per person. How thoroughly can tens of thousands of records be vetted at that pace, particularly when American citizens are included in the data? Naturally, legal voters are going to get caught in the crossfire of this mess.

Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, called the operation a “anti-democratic departure from the mission Congress set for the Department” and described it as a “law enforcement activity aimed at intimidating the public as the 2026 midterm elections are underway.”I completely understand that concern.

Imagine being a naturalized citizen, watching armed federal agents question your neighbors about voting. Even if you’re legally eligible to vote, you might wonder whether casting a ballot could put you or your family under scrutiny. That fear alone can keep people away from the polls. And remember, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said earlier this year: “You're damn right we're gonna have ICE surround the polls come November. We're not gonna sit here and allow you to steal the country again.”

Sending ICE or any other armed federal agents to the polls is illegal, because federal law bans federal officers from interfering in elections. It’s also illegal because federal law bans troops and armed federal agents from being deployed anywhere an “election is held.”Bannon’s rhetoric, combined with door-to-door investigations and recent scrutiny and investigations of voter-registration groups, is feeling like voter intimidation. We’ve seen President Trump challenge the 2020 election results, including pressuring Georgia officials to “find votes.”

Now, with the midterms approaching, voters are watching federal agencies expand their efforts to investigate alleged election fraud. Something we know is extremely rare. Claims of widespread voter fraud are unsupported by evidence and are being used to erode public confidence in elections. We need to protect eligible Americans’ right to vote without fear. If the administration believes it can win voters over, the answer is policy and persuasion, not tactics that risk making people afraid to exercise their fundamental right.

Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.”This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.