Democratic Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan pledged to dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement and replace it with a different immigration system after defeating Republican Michele Tafoya in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Democratic Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan declared Tuesday, Nov. 3, that she intends to overhaul federal immigration enforcement, promising supporters that “We will rip ICE apart” after winning the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.
Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, defeated Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL television reporter, becoming the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Her victory followed a campaign in which federal immigration enforcement, government spending and household affordability emerged as major issues.
Speaking to supporters at a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party election gathering in St. Paul, Flanagan characterized her victory as a rejection of President Donald Trump’s administration and its immigration policies.
“And you said no more masked goons shooting our neighbors and terrorizing our communities,” Flanagan told the crowd, referring to federal immigration operations conducted in Minnesota earlier this year.
She then outlined her intentions for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We will rip ICE apart. That’s right. And we have the opportunity to replace it with an immigration system that is grounded in public safety for everybody, dignity and due process.”
The remarks, captured in a video circulated on X, drew cheers from supporters.
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Flanagan’s criticism followed Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement initiative that brought approximately 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota earlier in 2026.
The operation became a major political controversy after federal officers fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during separate encounters. Their deaths prompted demonstrations, investigations and renewed debate over federal immigration tactics.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune’s account of Flanagan’s victory speech, the senator-elect also called for changes to federal health care policy, lower household costs and an end to the war in Iran.
Flanagan framed the election results as a mandate for congressional Democrats to challenge the Trump administration.
Her immigration proposals extend beyond increasing oversight of individual enforcement operations. Throughout her campaign, she advocated restructuring ICE and transferring federal immigration responsibilities into a system emphasizing public safety, due process and protections against unlawful detention.
The Minnesota Reformer reported that Flanagan made dismantling ICE a central campaign commitment following the federal operations in Minnesota.
The Trump administration has defended its immigration enforcement program as necessary to remove individuals who violate federal immigration laws and protect public safety.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reaffirmed that position Wednesday, declaring that deportations would continue despite Democratic victories in the midterm elections.
Although Democrats won control of the Senate, abolishing or substantially reorganizing ICE would require congressional legislation and could face opposition from Republicans and the White House.
The agency was established in 2003 as part of the Department of Homeland Security and is responsible for immigration enforcement, investigations involving transnational crime and other federal duties.
Eliminating ICE as an agency would therefore require lawmakers to determine how its existing responsibilities would be reassigned.
Flanagan’s victory also represented a historic development in Native American political representation.
A citizen of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe, she became the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate after serving as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor since 2019.
According to Minnesota Public Radio, Flanagan previously served on the Minneapolis school board and worked with organizations supporting children and Native American communities.
Her campaign emphasized her upbringing in a single-parent household, access to public assistance and policies intended to reduce costs for working families.
Tafoya, her Republican opponent, focused heavily on alleged fraud involving Minnesota social services programs during Gov. Tim Walz’s administration.
Republicans argued that Flanagan, as lieutenant governor, shared responsibility for the administration’s oversight of those programs.
Flanagan rejected allegations that she was personally responsible for failing to prevent fraud and maintained that her campaign offered Minnesotans a different approach to national economic and immigration policies.
The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Flanagan overcame Tafoya’s campaign to retain the Senate seat for Democrats.
Her election was part of a broader Democratic resurgence that delivered control of both chambers of Congress to the party.
Flanagan will take office in January 2027, joining a Senate expected to confront major disputes over immigration funding, federal law enforcement oversight and the administration’s deportation program.
Her election-night declaration established immigration enforcement reform as one of her principal priorities before she formally enters the Senate.
Whether Democrats can translate those proposals into legislation will depend on negotiations within Congress and the administration’s willingness to accept changes to federal immigration enforcement.
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