Overview
- Chris Madel ended his bid in a video on Monday, saying he cannot support national Republicans’ “stated retribution” and calling Operation Metro Surge an “unmitigated disaster.”
- He said the ICE and Border Patrol deployment has broadened beyond serious offenders, with U.S. citizens of color living in fear and carrying documents to prove citizenship.
- Madel, who provided legal counsel to ICE agent Jonathan Ross after the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good, cited the subsequent fatal shooting of Alex Pretti as part of his break with the party.
- He argued ICE has authorized home raids on civil warrants not signed by a judge and labeled the practice unconstitutional, while also pledging to refund campaign donations.
- His withdrawal comes as several Republicans, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Bill Cassidy and Thom Tillis, press for a full, independent investigation into the Pretti shooting and DHS accounts of the incident.