Minneapolis, protests even among Republicans: gubernatorial candidate quits

Chris Madel, a Minneapolis lawyer running (and leading) as the Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota, announces that he is discontinuing his campaign because of the Grand Old Party's "retaliation" against his state, callingIce operations a "total disaster." "I cannot support the stated retaliation of Republicans nationwide against the citizens of our state, nor can I consider myself a member of a party that would do so," Madel says in a video posted on her campaign social. She adds: 'It is clear that what is happening in Minnesota is that people in the Department of Homeland Security are stopping individuals and, in some cases, detaining them simply on the basis of skin colour without any reasonable indication of a violation of the law.' He claims that Latino and Asian police officers he knows personally are being stopped on the pretext of speeding, an area that - according to him - does not fall within the purview of immigration authorities.

Madel is known for his direct and sometimes aggressive style even in the courtroom. In 2024 he defended a Minnesota state police officer accused of murder in a closely watched case that was later dismissed by prosecutors. In recent weeks he has been advising Jonathan Ross, the immigration agent who earlier this month killed Renee Good, also in Minneapolis, the first US citizen to fall in the Trump administration's Ice campaign in the city. Last week, popular Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar filed paperwork to run for governor of Minnesota, but Madel assures that her decision to withdraw is unrelated to the new candidate.

After the shooting of Alex Pretti, the second in a month of an American citizen during anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis, several Republican voices are raised against the tactics and methods of Donald Trump's anti-immigrant police who "cannot be given carte blanche", says Senator Lisa Murkowski. The new shooting "raises serious questions within the administration about the adequacy of the training of the anti-immigrant forces and the orders given to carry out the mission," continues the moderate Republican, often a voice critical of Trump. "The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing, the credibility of Ice and the Department of Homeland Security are at stake, there needs to be a full joint state and national investigation, to give the American people the truth of the facts," writes Bill Cassidy, Senator from Lousiana.

"There needs to be an impartial and careful investigation into Saturday's shooting in Minneapolis," demands North Carolina Senator Thom Tills, who also criticises the fact that the administration, as in the case of the killing of Renee Good in recent weeks, have been quick to claim it was self-defence. "Any official who rushes to judgment and seeks to close an investigation before it begins does an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump," Murkowski concludes, also calling for "a full independent investigation" while also urging "congressional committees to hold hearings."

Another critical voice is that of Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who condemned the Trump administration's reaction to the killings by federal ICE agents in Minneapolis, particularly the tone used in official communication. "What I think the administration could do better is the way they describe these incidents: immediately, when something like this happens, they come out with their guns blazing saying 'we took out a violent terrorist, yay!'," Cruz said on his podcast Monday. "The problem is that, especially for those who don't follow the story closely, if you're told it's a mother of three and there's no indication, she's not waving an Isis flag or wearing an explosive belt, the escalation of rhetoric doesn't help and in fact makes you lose credibility," the senator added.