Washington, D.C. — Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut sharply criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy on Sunday, arguing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has become an agency operating outside acceptable legal and humanitarian standards.
Speaking on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Murphy said ICE is no longer functioning as a legitimate domestic enforcement mechanism. While acknowledging the need for immigration enforcement, he argued that current practices are “inhumane and illegal,” citing what he described as widespread detention of individuals who are in the United States legally. As an example, Murphy referenced a 16-year-old student in Meriden, Connecticut, who was detained weeks before graduation and held for six months before being released when the administration failed to defend the case in court.
Murphy said similar cases are occurring nationwide, involving peaceful immigrants placed into prolonged detention without sufficient legal justification. He argued that such actions undermine public trust and make it politically untenable to continue funding the agency in its current form.
The comments come in the aftermath of a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis that has intensified scrutiny of the agency. Murphy responded to the incident on X by stating that Democrats “cannot vote for a DHS budget that doesn’t restrain the growing lawlessness of this agency.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has described the woman killed, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, as a “domestic terrorist,” a characterization that has drawn criticism from several Democratic lawmakers.
Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota echoed those concerns, saying the administration is attempting to shape a narrative before a full investigation is completed. ICE and the White House have been contacted for comment.
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