St. Paul, Minnesota — Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Madel announced Monday that he is ending his campaign for his party’s nomination, citing ethical objections to what he described as federal “retribution” against Minnesotans tied to recent immigration enforcement operations.
In a video statement, Madel criticized both the Trump administration’s handling of immigration enforcement in the state and his own party’s response. He said he could not remain part of a national Republican effort that, in his view, has punished residents following a series of violent encounters involving federal immigration agents.
Madel said he supports immigration enforcement in principle and initially backed Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Operation Metro Surge, which was presented as targeting serious criminal offenders. He acknowledged that ICE has arrested non-U.S. citizens convicted of violent crimes and said he supports removing those individuals. However, he argued the operation has expanded beyond that scope.
According to Madel, U.S. citizens — particularly people of color — are now living in fear and carrying documents to prove their citizenship. He described ICE raids conducted under civil warrants signed by Border Patrol agents as unconstitutional and wrong.
The decision follows national outrage after Alex Pretti was killed during an altercation with federal law enforcement in Minneapolis, marking the second fatal encounter involving immigration agents in the city this month. Administration officials labeled Pretti a domestic terrorist, though video appears to show him unarmed at the time.
Madel said the situation created an ethical conflict for him personally and politically, adding he could no longer justify continuing his campaign under those circumstances.
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