Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) believes the Trump administration’s deployment of federal immigration personnel to cities nationwide is part of a quest to “take control” of the midterm elections.
“It has always been, I think, the fear, and now I think closer to the reality that the Trump administration is creating this mayhem, particularly in cities in swing states, in order to take control of the election, to say, ‘Oh, the city’s out of control, the state’s out of control, you can’t trust the state government, we just need to run the election in November,’” Murphy told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Murphy’s remarks come less than 24 hours after a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an American citizen, in Minneapolis. The administration has sent thousands of CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel to Minneapolis, amid a federal probe into fraud within Minnesota’s social services programs.
In a Saturday letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) obtained by multiple outlets, Attorney General Pam Bondi asked the governor to share state records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs, repeal migrant sanctuary policies and turn voter rolls over to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to “confirm that Minnesota’s voter registration practices comply with federal law.”
The Hill has reached out to the DOJ and Walz’s office for comment.
In addition to Minneapolis, the administration has sent federal immigration enforcement to other Democratic-run cities and states, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Maine, over the past year. That has sparked concerns from local and state officials and law enforcement.
Murphy said Bondi’s letter is “definitive proof” that the administration has broader plans with those tactics.
It is “trying to trade the presence of ICE and the murder and mayhem that they are causing for control of Minnesota’s elections,” he said.
“That’s just wild,” the Connecticut Democrat added. “Minnesota shouldn’t stand for that. The American people shouldn’t stand for that.”
