Facts
- The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement has become a political complication for some Republican candidates days before the November 3 midterms, according to an Associated Press report by Tim Sullivan and Nicholas Riccardi published October 29, 2026, via PBS NewsHour.
- According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE made almost 51,000 arrests in August, up from 49,000 in July and 43,000 in June. The Migration Policy Institute estimates about 660,000 deportations in the past fiscal year, short of the administration’s goal of 1 million a year, the AP reported.
- The AP said polling shows voters disapprove of the president’s approach to immigration. The report gave no poll numbers, pollster or dates.
- The report described Minneapolis as a turning point. More than 2,000 federal officers were sent there. U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, were killed in confrontations with agents, the AP reported. The White House then pushed aside Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
- The AP described Republican candidates reacting in different ways. In Colorado, Rep. Gabe Evans is distancing himself from Trump on immigration. In Florida, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar sponsored legislation to let some immigrants who have followed the law remain and criticized the crackdown. In New Hampshire, former Sen. John Sununu, running for an open Senate seat, has criticized ICE tactics and masks. In Tennessee’s governor race, Sen. Marsha Blackburn is promising more deportations.
- On the Democratic side, Texas Senate candidate James Talarico calls himself a ‘border security Democrat,’ and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed says he wants strong borders. The AP reported that 46 House Democrats and a dozen Senate Democrats voted with Republicans for the Laken Riley Act.
Quotes
President Donald Trump, at a Florida rally, said Democrats let migrants “pour across our borders from all over the world.” He added: “If they win in the midterms, they’ll do it again.”
Sen. Jon Husted, an Ohio Republican, said of his opponent, Sherrod Brown: “voted to raise your taxes repeatedly and give those tax dollars to illegals.”
Mark Krikorian, of the Center for Immigration Studies, an ally of Trump, said the reduction in border crossings “is often politically bad.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said the public backed border security but the administration brought “shredding the Constitution, mass deportations and killing American citizens on the streets of Minneapolis.” He added: “We’ve gone from some of that sniping on the sidelines to a clear vote among Democrats to defund ICE.”
James Talarico, Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, said: “Joe Biden and his administration failed us on our southern border.”
Source Read the Associated Press report on PBS NewsHour here.
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