Republicans sidestep immigration as Minnesota Senate race opens in Trump crackdown epicenter

Republicans are opening Minnesota’s Senate race by avoiding immigration and ICE, even as Democrats seek to make President Donald Trump’s enforcement policies a central campaign issue.

By Imran Malik | August 12, 2026

MINNEAPOLIS: Republicans are steering clear of immigration in their opening attacks against Democratic Minnesota Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan, choosing instead to focus on a welfare fraud scandal, crime and government performance.

Republican nominee Michele Tafoya and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have made no direct mention of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, in their initial attacks on Flanagan, despite Minnesota emerging as a major flashpoint in Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Tafoya, after winning the Republican nomination, said Democrats were taking Minnesota “in the wrong direction,” citing fraud, declining test scores and crime. National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott similarly attacked Flanagan over the state’s fraud scandal, calling her one of the country’s most radical Democratic Senate candidates.

The Republican strategy comes as Trump intensifies immigration enforcement ahead of the November elections and public concern over ICE tactics grows.

A July Economist/YouGov survey found that a majority of Americans believed ICE had used too much force, including 91% of Democrats and 63% of independents. Only 19% of Republicans agreed.

Minnesota has particular sensitivity to the issue following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti earlier this year in incidents involving federal agents. Their deaths have intensified debate over immigration enforcement and the federal government’s tactics in the state.

Flanagan, who won the Democratic primary against Rep. Angie Craig, is seeking to keep immigration at the center of the general election.

“Michele Tafoya was all in with Trump when ICE was terrorizing our neighbors,” Flanagan said in her victory speech. “The last thing this country needs is to give Donald Trump another ‘yes, sir’ senator.”

Her primary campaign also highlighted Craig’s support for the Laken Riley Act and a resolution containing language expressing gratitude for ICE, underscoring how immigration has become an increasingly important issue for Minnesota Democrats.

Democratic strategist Ron Harris said Republicans remain vulnerable because of the Trump administration’s immigration operation in Minnesota, particularly Operation Metro Surge and the deaths of Good and Pretti.

Democrats are also targeting vulnerable Republicans elsewhere over ICE. In Maine, Sen. Susan Collins has faced protests over her support for ICE funding following the death of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, who was killed by a federal immigration agent last month.

Flanagan, however, has avoided calling for ICE to be abolished, a position embraced by some progressive Democrats in other states. Asked whether she supported abolishing the agency, she said: “I’m saying we need to rip it apart.”

The Minnesota race presents a difficult challenge for Republicans. The party has not won a Senate seat in the state since 2002, while Trump remains unpopular there.

That leaves Tafoya with a delicate task: attack Flanagan on issues such as fraud and crime without making the election a referendum on Trump’s immigration policies.

For Democrats, the strategy is the opposite. They want ICE, immigration enforcement and Trump’s record to remain central to a race Republicans would rather fight on state-level issues.