Killings in Minneapolis Put Republican Immigration Stance on Defensive

Two killings by federal agents on the icy streets of Minneapolis have upended the politics of immigration, leaving Republicans on the defensive and giving Democrats a fresh opening to make immigration a central issue. Democrats have raced to harness voter anger, shifting campaign messaging in states including Illinois, New Mexico, Maine and New Jersey and running ads opposing federal immigration operations.

Several Democratic senators and representatives, including Raphael Warnock and Ro Khanna, traveled to Minneapolis to meet activists, and some Senate Democrats have signaled willingness to block government funding because it includes money for the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, which they want to be subject to new guardrails.

Top Republican leaders and many candidates have struggled to respond. Speaker Mike Johnson had not issued a statement, while Senator John Thune praised Mr. Trump’s shake-up in Minnesota as a step toward “turning down the temperature.” Other Republicans expressed concern: a Minnesota gubernatorial candidate called the federal operation “a disaster,” Representative Glenn Grothman suggested a shooting was “murder,” and Gov.

Greg Abbott urged the White House to “recalibrate.” Polling cited by The New York Times and Siena found roughly half of voters supported deportations but a sizable majority said ICE had gone too far, including 71 percent of independent voters. The shift may be temporary.

Key Topics

Politics, Ice, Minneapolis Killings, Donald Trump, Homeland Security, Raphael Warnock