Republicans are quietly walking back their support for President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement as the 2026 midterm elections approach—a pattern that extends beyond ICE to tariffs, the Iran war, and Trump's own campaign presence.
In Kansas, an ICE enforcement operation in the southwestern part of the state this fall triggered immediate concern from Republican Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall. The raids targeted cities with large meatpacking workforces, disrupting local schools and businesses.
Marshall posted on social media stating, "When ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement." He said he had contacted Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and was "closely following what's happening in SW Kansas."
The statement marks a sharp reversal. In January, after federal agents killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, Marshall told CNN's Jake Tapper that "sometimes there's collateral damage" and suggested the focus should be on fallen ICE officers. Days later, he told Fox Business Network: "We're grateful for all the ICE officers in there risking their lives." He authored an op-ed in March defending how ICE conducts apprehensions.
Moran also raised concerns in January about the Minneapolis killings, contrasting with Marshall's more defensive posture at the time.
In Maine, former Governor Paul LePage, now a congressional candidate, held a press conference this week accusing ICE of wrongfully relocating a family member. The move contradicts his long record of harsh immigration rhetoric. In July, after an ICE agent killed a man in Biddeford, LePage cautioned that law enforcement officers "often in situations where they have to make split-second decisions" and accused critics of trying "to politicize this incident to try and perpetuate illegal immigration."
The shifts by Marshall—viewed by GOP strategists as surprisingly vulnerable for a Republican senator—signal growing concern inside the party that ICE operations carry electoral risk in competitive districts. The change in tone from former Trump allies reflects a calculation that immigration enforcement, once a campaign asset, has become a liability with swing voters.
