Chris Madel, an attorney seeking the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s gubernatorial race, dropped out on Monday, saying the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation in the state has gone too far.
Madel said he agreed with deporting violent criminals, but the situation had “expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats” and become “an “unmitigated disaster.”
“United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear,” Madel said in a nearly 11-minute video posted on social media. “United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That’s wrong.
He said he’d personally heard from non-white police officers who’d been harassed by ICE.
“Driving while Hispanic is not a crime, neither is driving while Asian.
“I cannot support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state. Nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.”
Madel, 59, said the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans had negatively tilted the election landscape and made ICE a political liability.
“National Republicans have made it nearly impossible for a Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota,” he said.
Madel also ruled out running as an independent and said he would return donors’ contributions.
The announcement comes after weeks of protests that intensified earlier this month after ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Nicole Good while she was in her car and ICE nurse Alex Pretti was killed by unknown Border Patrol agents on Saturday.
Madel entered the race back in Dec. and had been providing pro bono legal counsel to Ross following the shooting. No criminal charges or civil lawsuits have been filed in relation to Good’s death, which was ruled a homicide last weekend. Madel said he had helped Ross file paperwork to ensure Justice Department representation if he was hit with state charges or a civil suit.
Tim Walz, Minnesota’s Democratic governor and a former vice president candidate, has already announced he won’t seek another term. Dem. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is reportedly considering a run after filing paperwork, but not making an official announcement.
The crowded GOP candidate field includes MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell.
Hours after Madel’s announcement, multiple reports emerged that Greg Bovino, Border Patrol’s commander at large, and some agents are expected to leave Minneapolis on Tuesday ahead of Tom Homan, the White House’s border czar, arriving to oversee ongoing ICE operations in the city.
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