Man Arrested for Posing as ICE Agent at Polling Station

Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation

A man was arrested this weekend after police said he posed as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent at a polling location.

Authorities said 46-year-old Damilo Alves Silva dressed in what they described as a blue “ICE raid jacket,” a blue ICE hat, sunglasses, tactical boots, and a face mask. Silva was reportedly intimidating voters at Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus on Sunday, where Brazilian nationals gathered to vote in Brazil’s presidential election, which is heading to a runoff.

According to the arrest report, people at the polling site were intimidated by Silva.

“The people were gathered and were clearly in fear that, as they portrayed it, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE agent was interfering with their election, possibly deporting individuals,” the report said.

An unidentified person confronted Silva, which led to an argument. That eventually caught the attention of nearby sheriff’s deputies. Police said when they approached Silva, he could not produce proof he was a law enforcement official. Instead, he reportedly told them that he put on the getup, which he bought on Amazon, “so that I can come here to see people’s reactions.”

The arrest report stated that Silva insisted that “there is no law against him walking around a voting site dressed as ICE.”

Upon being placed in a squad car, Silva, who said he is a Brazilian national, allegedly told police they would regret arresting him.

“I will get you paid if you let me go,” the arrest report also quoted Silva as saying.

Silva has not yet entered a plea and is being held on bond.

MAGA personalities such as Steve Bannon have called for an ICE presence at polling stations this November for the midterm elections.

“We can use what’s happening with these ICE [agents] helping out at the airports,” Bannon said in March. “We can use this as a test run, as a test case to really perfect ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterm election.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!