Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies concluded an investigation into the traffic stop by federal immigration agents near an early voting site on Oct. 20. Overall, Hodies said, the presence of Customs & Border Patrol agents who were pulling over a suspect did not interfere or appear to infringe upon the early voting process. Hodies said the stop took place outside the 150-foot no-solicitation zone.
Video surfaced on social media of agents pulling over a vehicle at the south entrance to the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo. The vehicle decided to pull off U.S. 1 shortly after a CBP vehicle activated its lights. The video shows agents pulling a male out of the vehicle. He was later detained. Hodies said she was alerted to the incident by concerned citizens.
“At no time did the federal law enforcement officers enter the 150-foot no-solicitation zone. At no time was the driveway to the Nelson Center’s early voting site blocked,” Hodies said. “Having investigated the allegations and determined what actually happened, I am satisfied that this was an event unrelated to the voter site and did not involve intentional voter intimidation.”
The Keys Weekly reached out to the U.S. Customs & Border Patrol on Oct. 20 for comment on the stop. The inquiry was received by CBP, but no response was provided by press time.
