Trump’s immigration tactics in Minnesota test Georgia Senate GOP hopefuls
As President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis intensified, Republican U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter called for a surge of federal agents in Georgia.
Shortly after federal agents shot and killed a protester whose death has sparked days of outrage, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins amplified a former Atlanta Braves player’s tweet declaring: “Less talk … more handcuffs.”
And former football coach Derek Dooley embraced Trump’s approach as “common sense,” praising what he described as a corrective to “the reckless open border policies of the Biden administration.”
A growing number of congressional Republicans and GOP leaders are urging caution about the administration’s hard-edged enforcement approach, reflecting growing outrage that extends beyond the usual partisan pushback.
But Georgia Republican Senate candidates dueling to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff have so far remained loyal to Trump’s line, highlighting a central dilemma for GOP hopefuls eager to harness his base’s support even if it risks alienating a broader swath of voters.
As each jockeys for Trump’s endorsement — and the support of his core supporters — none have shown a willingness to break with him.
Democrats see a shocking, tragic overreach of federal authority and are seeking to cast it as a broader political contrast with echoes of 2020, when Ossoff exploited GOP divisions to win election. The Democrat called on his Republican rivals to reject “police state tactics.”
“My opponents have a clear choice: Do they stand with Trump or with Americans’ constitutional rights?” Ossoff said. “I challenge each of them to condemn and demand an end to the Trump administration chaos that is undermining Americans’ core civil liberties.”
And U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, trekked to Minneapolis on Tuesday to visit a memorial site for Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse who died Saturday after being shot by federal agents.
“As I stand where Alex Pretti lost his life, in a real sense, I feel like I’m standing on holy ground,” Warnock said. “And the blood spilled on this ground reminds us we’re in a moral moment in our country, and the soul of our nation is at stake here.”
Even Trump has tempered his rhetoric after Republican lawmakers and other allies warned he risked alienating supporters of his signature 2024 campaign issue — immigration enforcement — amid the chaotic scenes in Minneapolis.
Trump on Monday revamped the oversight of his immigration operation in Minnesota — pulling the controversial head of the program — and eased his tone toward Democratic Gov. Tim Walz after months of withering criticism.
Now Democrats are pivoting as well. Buoyed by the backlash, they’re confident they can draw a harder line on funding for the Department of Homeland Security after violent operations across the nation.
Ossoff and Warnock have both pledged to vote against the appropriations bills unless funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement is removed or civil liberties protections are added.
So far, Republicans have shown little willingness to accept either demand. But cracks are emerging as a growing number of GOP senators publicly break with the Trump administration’s approach ahead of Friday’s government funding deadline.
“What I think the administration could do better is the tone with which they’re describing this,” said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. “That immediately when an incident like this happens, they come out guns blazing, that we took out a violent terrorist.”
But Ossoff’s three top Senate rivals haven’t budged. Carter wrote an opinion essay in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week that urged Trump to send more immigration agents to Georgia and reinforced his stance after the shooting.
“ICE has every right to defend itself,” Carter said. “The violence we are seeing against law enforcement is the direct result of politicians like Jon Ossoff who demonize them for doing their job to keep our cities safe.”
Collins accused Ossoff of “siding with the radical left.” And Dooley praised the decision to dispatch Trump border czar Tom Homan — who supports a more targeted immigration approach — as the “best way” to strike a balance between public safety and Trump’s agenda.
Meanwhile, Republicans are increasingly acknowledging mounting warning signs after a shooting that seemed to have broken through the usual informational clutter. A new Reuters poll showed support for Trump’s immigration policies hit a record low, with just 39% approving while 53% disapprove.
“It’s time for leaders to be leaders and quit throwing each other under the bus,” said state Rep. Kasey Carpenter, a Dalton Republican who has been critical of his party’s immigration approach.
“People are scared. Law enforcement are scared. And when that happens, it is a powder keg for what we’ve seen. Fear and anger are a recipe for disaster.”
John Wood, a longtime grassroots conservative activist, said what’s unfolding in Minneapolis is a political “nightmare.”
“Video doesn’t lie. And ICE was never meant to operate the way they are,” he said. “Whatever success is coming with too much collateral damage.”
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
