Trump Administration Faces Mounting Pressure Over ICE Operations

UNDATED (WJON News) -- Dissatisfaction with the Trump administration's ICE operations in Minnesota and elsewhere appears to be growing, with 61 percent of respondents in a recent (January 12th through 17th) New York Times poll saying ICE tactics have gone too far -- including 71 percent of independents as well as 19 percent of Republicans.

And could that hurt President Trump in this fall's mid-term elections?

Carleton College analyst Steven Schier says it depends on...

..."how long the ICE surge lasts in Minnesota; whether there are additional casualities and highly-controversial actions that occur during that surge; and then how close all this comes to the November election."

Schier says attention spans are shorter than ever in the current social media environment -- however...

"If this is happening in October, I think it's really very consequential for the election.  But if it's happening in January and then it sort of ends, I think the effect nationally would probably tend to fade.  But that again depends on what else ICE is doing, where, and what controversies result."

Read More: Thousands Gather In St. Cloud To Protest ICE Actions |

Meanwhile, Politico reports a small but growing number of Republicans in Washington D-C are raising concerns after federal agents fatally shot a 37-year-old man Saturday in Minneapolis.  The publication reports that three G-O-P senators (Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina) are calling for independent probes.

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And Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky suggested on Fox News that President Trump "maybe go to another city" other than Minneapolis if the mayor and governor are going put our ICE officials in harm’s way and there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives."