Tipsheet

This Republican Governor Just Criticized ICE. It Did Not Go Well for Him.

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  January 26, 2026 11:30 AM

Following another shooting in Minneapolis, this time involving Border Patrol, there have been some very bad takes, on both sides. But Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt is making a lot of people angry with his criticism of ICE, which he shared with Dana Bash on CNN:

"Broad agreement, President Trump closed the border and promised to get violent criminals out of our country, and I think everybody agrees with that," Stitt said.

He clearly hasn't been paying attention, because the Democrats have continually defended violent criminals, including in Minneapolis, where Mayor Jacob Frey said the anti-ICE protesters were "protecting their neighbors," including the violent criminals.

More to the point, Minnesota officials refuse to hand over violent criminals and do not honor ICE detainers — something that would put an end to many of the problems playing out in Minneapolis right now.

Stitt continued, "Now, Americans are asking themselves, 'What is the endgame? What is the solution?' and we believe in federalism and states' rights, and nobody likes feds coming into their state, and so what's the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-US citizen? I don’t think that’s what Americans want.”

Yes, when states' rights apply, we support them. But the Biden administration made it very clear that federal law trumps states' rights when it comes to immigration. They sued Texas and Arizona over the issue.

And Americans voted for President Trump to put an end to the flood of illegals at our border.

"We have to stop politicizing this, we need real solutions on immigration reform, and I believe that I've got a great solution. That we should give the states the authority to do workforce permits," Still said.

Bash asked him, "So are you saying that they should pull out of Minnesota?"

"Well, I think that the President has to answer that question. He is a deal maker, and he's getting bad advice right now," Stitt replied. "The president needs to let the American people...what is the solution? How do we bring this to a conclusion, and I think only the president can answer that question, because it's complicated. We have to enforce federal laws, but we need to know what is the endgame. And I don't think it's to deport every single non-U.S. citizen," Stitt replied.

That's exactly what the endgame is. We don't have a country if we don't have a border and can't enforce immigration laws.

Stitt was absolutely dragged for his comments.

Oklahoma voted overwhelmingly for Trump.

It's a bad look.

Outside of X, they are.

When CNN likes you, you're doing something wrong.

"In case it isn't obvious by now, this is why things keep moving to the Left over time, to the point where we're forced to fight over whether our nation is even allowed to have borders or exist at all," Heiens wrote.

"I've said it before, but it's worth repeating again. Republicans do not actually believe their own stated principles, at least when it comes time to actually implement them as a matter of policy. They simply don't believe they have a mandate to rule, even after winning an election. Now contrast that with the Left, who believe no election outcome is legitimately capable of halting the long arc of history because destiny is on their side. And if they are not permitted to impose their will on this country through the traditional legislative process, they will default first to bureaucratic and legalistic manipulation, and finally street violence to get their way."