People casting ballots for Brazil’s presidential election at Miami-Dade College’s Kendall Campus on Sunday encountered a man dressed as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Deputies and detectives from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office later arrested 46-year-old Danilo Alves Silva, saying he had impersonated an ICE officer and intimidated voters at the polling site.
According to the arrest report cited by The New Republic, Silva moved aggressively between polling locations and approached people who seemed to be “in fear” of him. A camouflage mask covered his face, and he spoke into a handheld radio as he paced the campus.
The report says the clothing was an ICE costume he allegedly purchased on Amazon. It included a blue “ICE raid jacket,” an ICE hat, sunglasses, jeans, and tactical boots. Asked why he had put it on, Silva told the officers he was wearing the costume “so that I can come here to see people’s reactions.”
Deputies outline the costume, the pacing, and a bribe offer
The arrest report described the reaction among people who had gathered at the site. It reads, “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.”
Silva told officers he was a Brazilian voter and that he had already cast his own ballot before he changed clothes. He said he switched into the ICE costume afterward, and the report presents that change as something he did to see what would happen once voting was finished for him.
The encounter did not end with the explanation about the costume. After the arrest, Silva tried to bribe the officers holding him. He told them, “I will get you paid if you let me go.”
Brazil’s presidential race has been closely watched outside the country as well as inside it. Right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, is running against leftist incumbent Lula da Silva. Many people view the contest as a referendum on President Trump’s influence in South America, and the election will move to a runoff in October.
Silva’s arrest also lands less than a month before America’s Election Day, at a time when there is widespread anxiety that ICE or other federal law enforcement officials at polling places could interfere with voters trying to cast ballots. The concern over law enforcement at voting sites has already prompted legal action, as a new lawsuit claims armed ICE agents at polling stations would violate federal law.
FBI Director Kash Patel has not ruled out sending the bureau’s agents to voting locations in November, with the stated aim of preventing “violations of the law.” The account of the Miami arrest notes that someone impersonating an officer could frighten voters in a similar way.
Published: Oct 7, 2026 11:00 am