Republicans push back on ICE

Republican Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia, a Trump ally, urged the administration to dial back immigration enforcement. He warned against dragging away people who have lived in communities for years.

“Before you know it, you get people that get carried away in their job and whatever it may be, and all of a sudden, then you're dragging people away that have lived on your street corner for 15 years.”

Ossoff struggles to defend his vote

Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, running for reelection and floated as a 2028 presidential candidate, struggled to explain his January 2025 vote for the Laken Riley Act when confronted by a reporter.

What the Laken Riley Act does

Passed within days of Trump's inauguration and signed nine days into his second term, the law requires ICE to detain undocumented immigrants merely arrested for or charged with theft-related crimes, before conviction.

Ossoff's response on due process

Ossoff said Laken Riley was his constituent and immigration enforcement should focus on those convicted or charged with serious crimes. He did not directly address whether the law undermined due process.

“Laken Riley was my constituent and what happened to her should happen to no American, to no person in this world.”

Democrats validated Trump's premise

In 2025, Ossoff and 11 other Senate Democrats joined Republicans supporting Trump's immigration bill, implicitly validating that the border was out of control and interior enforcement needed expansion.

Trump expanded ICE dramatically

Since the vote, Trump has hired more ICE officers, launched sweeping raids in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and fueled chaos that led to shootings across the country.

The political logic at the time

Ossoff and other Democrats in competitive races thought they had misread voters on immigration after the 2024 election, particularly after Latino voters swung hard toward Republicans.

Democrats prioritized triangulation

Many congressional Democrats made a familiar mistake: prioritizing political triangulation over standing on their values of protecting marginalized communities.

Craig loses primary over her vote

In Minnesota's Democratic primary for an open Senate seat, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan made US Rep. Angie Craig's vote for the law a key campaign focus, calling it disqualifying.

Craig expresses remorse

Craig eventually expressed remorse for her vote, saying she got it wrong. She lost the August 11 primary to Flanagan.

“I wanted to be honest with the people of Minnesota. I will tell you when I get it wrong, and I got that one wrong.”

Delaney also regrets her vote

Maryland's April McClain Delaney, another congressional Democrat, said she regretted her vote, never thinking ICE immigration enforcement would become so horrific. She survived her primary, defeating David Trone by 6 points.

Trump's ICE is broadly unpopular

A Hart Research poll for TelevisaUnivision of 1,500 Latino registered voters in battleground House districts found 63 percent disapprove of Trump's job performance and 62 percent disapprove of his immigration enforcement.

Latino voters feel betrayed

Stephanie Valencia of Equis Research said voters who feel most regretful about voting for Trump in 2024 are regretful because of immigration, feeling he broke his promise to focus on violent criminals.

“The people who feel most regretful who voted for Trump in 2024 are most regretful because of immigration. They feel like there was a broken promise there.”

ICE hiring surge continues

This week, ICE announced plans to hire 5,000 more employees, most of them deportation officers, by the end of the year as enforcement continues to ramp up.

Lasting harm to communities

Raids have lasting effects on targeted communities in Maine, the Chicago area, and Texas. Trump is the chief architect of this chaos, but shortsighted Democrats gave him the tools to do it.