Tafoya blames Kristi Noem, Minnesota leadership for ICE rollout

Minnesota Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya on Sunday criticized both state leadership and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for how Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions were conducted in Minnesota. Speaking to NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on "The Hill Sunday," Tafoya said the federal operation was mishandled and described Noem’s removal from the role as appropriate. Tafoya also faulted Minnesota officials, saying they played a part in the situation by not allowing local law enforcement to assist in protecting residents. She gave state leadership an "F" for their handling of the events in the North Star State and reiterated her view that the ICE deployment was poorly managed. The ICE actions in Minnesota drew national attention after federal agents arrested thousands and two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, were killed in January by federal immigration authorities in Minneapolis. Those deaths prompted widespread backlash against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts and intensified scrutiny of officials involved in the operation. Tom Homan, the White House border czar, later announced in mid-February that the Trump administration's immigration crackdown efforts in Minnesota would end. The episode has also contributed to broader debate over Republican positions on immigration; a New York Times/Siena University poll cited in the report found 52 percent of respondents preferred Democrats' performance on immigration compared with 45 percent favoring Republicans.