Ernst calls to 'bring the temperature down' amid ICE surge in Minnesota

Source: The Hill

02/01/26 7:00 AM ET


Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is joining several other Republican lawmakers in calling to lower the national temperature amid escalating tensions over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics in Minnesota.

Trump’s hardline immigration stance helped deliver him to victory in the 2024 presidential election, but as public support for his administration’s widespread crackdown wanes, more Republicans have expressed concerns that the issue could be a liability come the midterms.

“We have to look at this pragmatically. While we still need to do what the President was elected to do, which is to remove those illegal aliens, we need to make sure that we’re one, respecting local governments as best we can, while fulfilling the obligation of the federal government to remove the illegal criminal aliens,” Ernst told John Catsimatidis in a radio interview on “The Cats Roundtable” show that aired Sunday.

Ernst said “open, honest communication” between local officials and the Trump administration was paramount, praising Trump’s decision to send White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota following the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by a federal law enforcement officer.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5717046-ernst-republican-immigration-tensions/