Minnesota Senate candidate Michele Tafoya is sharply criticizing former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and state leadership over the handling of ICE operations in Minnesota.
Tafoya appeared on “The Hill Sunday” to discuss her campaign and the ongoing controversy surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the state.
She did not hold back in her assessment of how federal immigration enforcement was conducted, placing blame squarely on multiple officials at both the state and federal levels.
“I’ve already said very publicly that I thought the ICE rollout here in Minnesota was very poorly handled, and Kristi Noem was fired appropriately,” Tafoya said during the interview.
Tafoya also turned her fire on Minnesota’s Democratic leadership, accusing them of stoking weeks of protests against ICE operations in Minneapolis rather than working toward resolution.
She singled out Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, faulting him over his handling of a fraud scandal that ultimately led him to drop his bid for reelection as governor.
Her pointed remarks reflect how the Trump administration’s immigration raids have become a defining issue in the Minnesota Senate race and across the broader political landscape.
The state has been thrust into the national spotlight after an ICE officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, intensifying public debate over the conduct and scope of federal immigration enforcement operations.
Thousands of federal agents remain in the Twin Cities as part of a wider immigration crackdown, escalating tensions between the Trump administration and local officials.
The rhetorical and judicial fight between federal authorities and Minnesota officials, including Gov. Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, shows no signs of cooling as the Senate race heats up.
Tafoya’s willingness to criticize both the Trump administration’s execution of the rollout and Democratic resistance to it positions her as a candidate seeking to appeal across traditional political lines in a competitive state.
With immigration continuing to dominate headlines and shape voter sentiment in Minnesota, her campaign appears determined to make the issue central to her path to the Senate.
