Republicans fear their midterm chances will collapse due to immigration chaos

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are increasingly concerned that immigration enforcement is becoming a political liability in the upcoming midterm elections after federal agents killed two people during President Donald Trump’s crackdown in Minneapolis.

Although few are willing to break publicly with the president, criticism has intensified as Republicans pressure the White House to change course. A weekend funding deadline has brought the issue to a head in Congress, with Democrats vowing to freeze Homeland Security funding without significant changes and Republicans struggling to find their footing.

“This is about regaining the confidence of the American people on this issue, and I really think we’re losing on an issue that we should be winning,” Sen. Thom Tillis told reporters on Capitol Hill.

The North Carolina Republican is retiring at the end of his term, making him more willing to speak out than other members of his party who are trying to avoid being at crosshairs with Trump amid outrage over the Minneapolis death.

But after Alex Pretty, 37, was killed Saturday, just weeks after Renee Good, 37, was also shot and killed, others are speaking out.

“The administration has lost control of the narrative,” said Jason Roe, a Republican strategist who works on midterm campaigns. “We can’t get out from under what’s going on in Minneapolis,” he said.

Historically, the party in control of the White House loses ground in Congress during the midterms. Republicans have also struggled in elections without Trump on the ballot, which continued in New Jersey and Virginia last year.

“Democrats are really, really mad and they can’t wait to vote,” Roe said. “And I’m not seeing that in any of the polls that I’ve seen on the Republican side.”

Noem is the target of criticism

For Republicans, uncomfortable with the administration’s enforcement strategy but reluctant to criticize Trump directly, Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem has become a focus of their concern.

“I think you now have a secretary who needs to be held accountable for the chaos and some of the tragedy that we’ve seen,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who said Noem should step down. He added that “we need clarity and accountability for the chaos and tragedy we have witnessed.”

Trump said Noem was “doing a great job” and would remain in his administration. Democrats say he should be impeached, even though they lack the necessary influence on Capitol Hill while Republicans hold the majority.

Immigration is one of Trump’s signature issues, and voters were more likely to accept his hardline stance in 2024 than in previous campaigns. Republicans overwhelmingly support his work on immigration, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in January.

Tillis, who has also called for Noem to be replaced, said the president is putting it in jeopardy.

“He won on a strong message about immigration,” Tillis said. “Nobody’s talking about it anymore. They’re not talking about border security. They’re talking about the incompetence of the leader of homeland security.”

Concerns have spread to Maine, home to one of the most competitive Senate races in the country. Sen. Susan Collins, who is running for re-election, said Tuesday that she has asked the administration to halt the increase in immigration enforcement operations in her state and in Minnesota.

Republicans use government funding to express pushback

Lawmakers are using the Jan. 31 deadline to pass government funding laws as a pressure tactic to push for change. Trump has signed into law six of the 12 annual spending bills for the current budget year, but six are still awaiting approval in the Senate, including funding for homeland security.

A growing number of Senate Republicans have said they will leave Democrats’ demands to separate homeland security funding from the comprehensive package for further debate, pushing the rest of the bills forward.

Other Republicans have struck a more cautious tone. First-term Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina said on social media that while he supported Trump’s immigration goals, he was hopeful that the president’s decision to reshuffle staff in Minnesota would lead to “systematic and systematic actions” focused on the most dangerous criminals.

There has been a marked tone change at the top since Pretty’s death on Saturday. In an interview late Tuesday, the president told ABC News that he hoped the presence of border czar Tom Homan — who this week replaced the Border Patrol’s Gregory Bovino as his ground point person — would allow for “a little more relaxation” and a “de-escalated” operation in Minneapolis.

But Trump reacted angrily after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he wanted Homeland Security to end its operations “as soon as possible,” saying the mayor was “playing with fire” by posting on social media.

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Kinnard reported from Columbia, SC, and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP