How Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Fuels Backlash Ahead of Midterms/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has generated a backlash that could complicate Republicans’ efforts to retain control of Congress. Deadly confrontations in Minneapolis and disputes over deportations have shifted attention from border crossings to federal enforcement tactics. Republicans are divided over their response, while Democrats increasingly pair border security proposals with criticism of the administration’s methods.
Quick Look
- Political reversal: Polling shows disapproval of Trump’s immigration approach, despite some continued support for his border policies.
- Record arrests: ICE arrested nearly 51,000 immigrants in August, up from 49,000 in July and 43,000 in June.
- Deportation total: An estimated 660,000 people were deported during the past fiscal year, below the administration’s annual goal of 1 million.
- Minneapolis turning point: Federal agents killed U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti during confrontations.
- Leadership changes: The White House subsequently pushed aside Gregory Bovino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
- Republican divisions: Some candidates favor expanded deportations, while others criticize enforcement tactics or support legal protections.
- Democratic shift: Candidates including James Talarico emphasize stronger border security while opposing Trump’s approach.
- Election stakes: Immigration could influence competitive races that determine congressional control.
Deep Look
Immigration Crackdown Creates a New Political Challenge
WASHINGTON- (AP)- Immigration helped propel Donald Trump back to the White House in 2024. Two years later, the implementation of his deportation promises has created a backlash that could hurt Republicans in the midterm elections.
During the presidential campaign, images of migrant camps, caravans and pressure on public services dominated the debate. Border turmoil eased after President Joe Biden tightened enforcement, followed by further restrictions under Trump.
Attention has since shifted to American communities, where confrontations, protests and fatal shootings have become defining images of the administration’s deportation campaign.
Polling shows voters disapprove of Trump’s broader immigration approach, even as he retains some support for his handling of the border.
“The American people supported strong border security,” said Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. “What they got instead was shredding the Constitution, mass deportations and killing American citizens on the streets of Minneapolis.”
Trump Allies Argue Border Success Has Changed the Debate
Supporters of the administration contend that reducing illegal crossings has made the original border crisis less visible, shifting public attention to enforcement inside the country.
“The disaster at the border and the impunity of people just walking over and being released into the country was hard to ignore,” said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies.
Trump sharply reduced illegal crossings, Krikorian said, “and that’s often politically bad.”
Krikorian praised lower-profile enforcement operations that have produced record arrest totals.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested almost 51,000 immigrants in the country illegally in August, compared with 49,000 in July and 43,000 in June.
The Migration Policy Institute estimates that approximately 660,000 people were deported during the past fiscal year, short of the administration’s goal of 1 million annually.
Trump continues to argue that Democrats would reverse his border policies.
At a recent Florida rally, he said Democrats allowed migrants to “pour across our borders from all over the world.”
“If they win in the midterms, they’ll do it again,” he said.
Deportation Pledge Initially Reshaped the Political Debate
Trump’s 2024 campaign repeatedly described illegal immigration as an “invasion.”
“They’re poisoning the blood of our country,” he said of people entering illegally. He also falsely blamed immigrants for increases in crime and repeated false claims about immigrants eating household pets.
His message nevertheless resonated with voters concerned about the surge in crossings under Biden. Arrests along the Mexican border reached a record 250,000 in December 2023.
After Trump’s victory, 46 House Democrats and 12 Democratic senators joined Republicans in supporting the Laken Riley Act.
Named for a Georgia student killed by a man in the country illegally, the law requires detention without bond for noncitizens accused of murder and other violent crimes.
Abrego Garcia Case Emboldens Democratic Opposition
The administration’s deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia became an early flashpoint.
Despite a court order prohibiting his removal to El Salvador, officials sent him there, where he was held in a notorious prison also used to detain other people deported by the Trump administration.
The Supreme Court directed the administration to “facilitate” his return.
Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia. The senator recalled that some Democrats initially questioned the political wisdom of challenging Trump on an issue where he appeared strong.
He said the party has since become more willing to confront the administration.
“We’ve gone from some of that sniping on the sidelines to a clear vote among Democrats to defund ICE,” Van Hollen said.
Minneapolis Killings Become a Turning Point
Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino became a prominent public face of the crackdown, appearing in tactical gear during operations in Los Angeles and Chicago.
In Chicago, he led a helicopter raid on an apartment building.
The political landscape changed more sharply in Minneapolis, where the administration deployed more than 2,000 federal officers.
Masked agents operating from unmarked vehicles became a familiar sight, while tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets.
Two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, were killed during confrontations with agents.
In the following weeks, the White House pushed aside Bovino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Pretti’s Father Describes Lasting Impact of Shooting Videos
Michael Pretti said this week that footage of his son’s killing continues to trouble the family.
Alex Pretti carried a holstered gun legally. None of the bystander footage shows him brandishing it or attacking federal agents in the moments before he was shot.
“I think it haunts many Americans to see a U.S. citizen who was peaceful and in his community shot multiple times on the back, in the back, while on the ground,” his father told reporters.
Immigration arrests declined after the killings before eventually returning to record levels.
The political consequences, however, persisted.
Republicans Split Over Enforcement and Deportations
Republican candidates have adopted differing approaches to the administration’s policies.
Sen. Marsha Blackburnrunning for Tennessee governor, has pledged additional deportations.
Florida Rep. Maria-Elena Salazar, who is Cuban American, criticized the crackdown in a campaign advertisement filmed outside the White House.
Salazar has sponsored legislation allowing immigrants in the country illegally to remain if they have otherwise obeyed the law.
Republican Rep. Gabe Evansthe grandson of a Mexican immigrant, is among the sponsors. He is seeking to distinguish himself from Trump while defending a competitive Colorado district.
In New Hampshire, former Sen. John Sununuwho is running for an open Senate seat, has criticized ICE’s tactics and agents’ use of masks to conceal their identities.
GOP Connects Immigration to Household Costs
Other Republicans have sought to link immigration with voters’ concerns about affordability.
Ohio Sen. Jon Husted has attacked Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown as someone who “voted to raise your taxes repeatedly and give those tax dollars to illegals.”
Frank Sharry, a longtime immigrants’ rights advocate who advises the centrist Democratic organization Third Way, said Republicans continue to focus on Biden’s border record.
“Republicans are trying to turn voters against Democrats because of what Joe Biden did in failing to control the border effectively,” Sharry said. “So they’re trying to define Democrats as being for open borders and not serious about removing criminals.”
Democrats Combine Border Security With Criticism of Trump
Many Democratic candidates are also changing how they discuss immigration, moving away from Biden-era messaging.
Texas Senate nominee James Talarico describes himself as a “border security Democrat.”
He supports hiring additional Border Patrol officers and expanding surveillance technology while criticizing many Trump policies as wasteful.
Talarico has also directly faulted the previous Democratic administration.
“Joe Biden and his administration failed us on our southern border,” he said at a July news conference in a Texas county along the Mexican border.
Even more liberal candidates, including Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, emphasize support for strong borders.
“I don’t know of a candidate who’s in a swing race who’s saying anything other than ‘We’ve got to secure the border’ and ‘We’ve got to remove criminals,’” Sharry said.
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