A Republican has dropped his bid for Minnesota governor and his support for Donald Trump’s party after the GOP’s “unmitigated disaster” approach to immigration enforcement in his state.
Chris Madel, a Minneapolis attorney who provided legal counsel to an ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good, said he was ending his gubernatorial bid after a second protester was killed on Saturday by a border patrol agent in the state.
“I cannot support the National Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so,” he said in a video posted to social media on Monday.
Madel, a law enforcement lawyer who has never held public office, said the immigration crackdown in Minnesota has extended “far beyond” its alleged focus on actual public safety threats.
“United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear. United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That’s wrong,” he continued.
“ICE has authorized its agents to raid homes using a civil warrant that need only be signed by a border patrol agent. That’s unconstitutional and it’s wrong. Weaponizing criminal investigations against political opponents is unconstitutional, regardless of who is in power.”
Madel, who was endorsed by the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, said he’s spoken to “countless” U.S. citizens stopped or detained by immigration agents because of their skin color, including law enforcement officers.
“At the end of the day, I have to look my daughters in the eye and tell them, I believe I did what was right, and I am doing that today,” he said.
The former candidate came under fire this month after it was publicized that he provided legal representation to Jonathon Ross, the agent who fired three shots into a vehicle and killed Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. Her death was later ruled a homicide. He defended the move in the video, emphasizing that he had also provided legal counsel on immigration matters numerous times.
“True Americans love justice. Justice requires excellent legal representation,” Madel said.
The attorney went on to criticize the national GOP for making it “nearly impossible” for Republicans to win back the North Star State.
“Believe me, if I could reach into my pocket and pull out the necessary many millions of dollars to run as an independent, I would,” he said.
Madel is one of several Republicans to publicly break ranks after multiple members of the Trump administration defended a border patrol agent who fatally shot VA nurse Alex Pretti, 37, in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Footage of the incident appears to show Pretti placing his body between federal agents and a woman who was being pepper-sprayed after she was shoved to the ground. He was then thrown to the ground, beaten, and ultimately shot dead.
Multiple videos of the chilling scene appear to show that Pretti had been disarmed of his handgun—which he never drew and was legally allowed to carry—before he was shot. That evidence contradicts statements from Trump administration officials, who claimed Pretti “approached” agents with his gun and intended to “massacre” law enforcement.
Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott offered some of the strongest condemnation, calling the killing of protesters by federal agents “murder,” and pleading with Trump to “pause” the immigration raids and “de-escalate the situation.”
Kentucky Rep. James Comer, a staunch Trump supporter, suggested the president should pull federal agents out of Minneapolis following Pretti’s killing and redeploy them elsewhere in order to save “innocent lives.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
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