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Senate Republicans seek reset on immigration after Minneapolis backlash.
MLN -31 JAN 2026:Senate Republicans are trying to regain their footing on immigration and border enforcement after the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis triggered political backlash that has put some of the party’s most vulnerable members under pressure ahead of November’s elections.
Immigration, long a winning issue for Republicans and central to President Donald Trump’s political rise, has become more complicated following the fatal shootings of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis. The incidents have forced GOP leaders and the White House to take steps to lower tensions and reconsider tactics, even as they seek to preserve their broader message on border security.
In the Senate, the fallout has prompted several Republicans to criticize the Department of Homeland Security’s handling of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. It also pushed party leaders to strike a deal with Democrats late last week to pass a sweeping funding package that included a two-week stopgap extension for DHS, buying time to negotiate potential reforms.
“There are folks that view, certainly, that some of the tactics used by ICE and CBP as politically damaging and they’re not wrong,” one Republican operative involved in Senate races said. “The American people want criminals that are illegally in our country gone. They don’t want to see it happen, and they certainly don’t want to see American citizens caught up in that process.”
“If you truth-serumed every elected Republican in D.C., like 90 percent of them are going to be pretty uncomfortable with some of what’s been going on,” the operative added. “It’s not hard to see them taking this opportunity to kind of rein in the administration without directly confronting the administration.”
The death of Alex Pretti, a 37 year-old intensive care nurse who was shot by Border Patrol agents during a protest, became a breaking point for some lawmakers already uneasy with federal enforcement tactics, particularly in Minneapolis. Their concerns were sharpened by early statements from administration officials including White House adviser Stephen Miller, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and then–Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino who described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” and claimed he sought to “massacre law enforcement” because he was carrying a handgun. Pretti had a concealed-carry permit.
Trump later moved to deescalate, installing border czar Tom Homan to oversee operations in Minnesota. Still, some Republicans have called for accountability over the initial response and worry the party could squander its political advantage on immigration.
“Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is never politically wise,” said Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, the first Republican senator to call for Noem’s removal.
“I know we’ve got some red-state members here who probably are getting different feedback,” Tillis said, adding that in competitive states, “we’re bleeding right now.”
Tillis also questioned the rationale behind expanded ICE operations in Maine, a key battleground for Republicans trying to hold their Senate majority. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents, welcomed a pullback of enhanced enforcement in her state and said she appreciated Noem’s willingness to reconsider the approach.
Polling suggests broader political risks remain. A New York Times College survey released Thursday found 58 percent disapproved of Trump’s handling of immigration, compared with 40 percent who approved. Another January poll showed 63 percent disapproved of how ICE is doing its job.
“Judging from the calls coming into my office … it’s gone too far in terms of unrest,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. “I think that’s why the president stepped in.”
