The arrest of a man by agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) at a voting center in San Antonio, Texas, unleashed a strong controversy among activists, local authorities and citizens who came to participate in the election day.

The incident occurred at the Las Palmas Library, located in Bexar County, where early voting was taking place. According to witnesses, at least nine federal agents surrounded the parking lot of the place while arresting a man whose identity was not revealed.

The presence of vehicles and armed agents in the vicinity of the site caused immediate concern among voters, especially within Latino and immigrant communities. Some citizens denounced that the operation could be interpreted as an act of intimidation.

“It is intimidation against voters,” declared one of the witnesses present, according to reports spread on social networks and local media. Another person questioned: “Now are we going to have to carry passports to feel safe when we go to vote?”

Sheriff intervened after presence of federal agents

Hours after the operation, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar personally went to the scene and requested that federal agents leave the area near the electoral center.

As Salazar himself explained, one of his officers was also removed from the site after considering that the presence of official units could become an “aggravating factor” for those who came to vote.

“We want to assure the public that they can go out and vote with peace of mind,” said the sheriff, trying to reduce the tension generated by the immigration operation.

ICE later assured that the detainee was not being investigated for attempting to vote illegally and maintained that the arrest simply “coincided” with the location of the voting center.

However, civil rights organizations and pro-immigrant groups warned that these types of actions can discourage citizen participation, especially in states where the debate on immigration and elections has intensified leading up to the midterm elections.

Concern grows over electoral and immigration impact

Various organizations have reported in recent years that the presence of federal forces near voting centers can generate fear among vulnerable communities, even among US citizens of Latino origin.

Although federal authorities maintain that the operation was unrelated to the election, the incident revived the debate about the limits between immigration enforcement and the right to vote.

So far, ICE has not released details about the charges or the detained man's immigration status.