Democratic officials and voting‑rights advocates are raising increasingly urgent warnings that President Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota is part of a broader effort to influence the 2026 election.
They cite Mr. Trump’s public regret over not deploying the military to seize voting machines in swing states after the 2020 election, arguing that the administration is now laying groundwork to assert control over the upcoming vote.
The concerns escalated over the weekend after Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote to Gov. Tim Walz, asking him to hand over Minnesota’s voter rolls as part of what she described as a broader plan to restore law and order in the state.
Sen. Chris Murphy, Connecticut Democrat, called the request “really alarming.”
He said Ms. Bondi is offering a shady exchange of removing ICE agents from Minneapolis if Mr. Walz gives the administration control of the voter rolls.
“It has always been, I think, the fear, and now I think closer to the reality, that the Trump administration is creating this mayhem, particularly in cities in swing states, in order to take control of the election,” Mr. Murphy said. “To some people, that may sound a little conspiratorial, but Trump has told you over and over again that he regrets that he didn’t interfere in the prior election.”
The Trump administration dismissed the claim, saying Mr. Murphy “continues to beclown himself by making ridiculous claims that have no basis in reality.”
“President Trump has been clear that he wants to work with state and local leaders to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens from American communities,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson. “Instead of whipping up more division, Chris should urge Democrats to work with President Trump to remove public safety threats from our streets.”
Last year, Mr. Trump issued an executive order to tighten voting requirements, including mandating proof of U.S. citizenship for federal elections, requiring all mail ballots to arrive by Election Day, and ordering a review of voting systems.
States successfully pushed back in the courts, which ruled the Constitution gives Congress and the states — not the president — the authority to regulate federal elections.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt has said the White House is working on another executive order to “strengthen our elections” and “to ensure there cannot be blatant fraud,” including universal mail-in voting systems.
The Brennan Center for Justice reports that the Justice Department has taken the unprecedented step of seeking election-related records from every state and the District of Columbia, including full copies of statewide, unredacted voter registration lists and ballots from previous elections, as well as access to voting equipment.
The department also sued 20 states, including Minnesota and the District of Columbia, for noncompliance.
“Make no mistake about what these actions represent: an attempt to take over election administration, a role that the Constitution grants to states, not the federal government,” said Eileen O’Connor, senior counsel in the Brennan Center for Justice’s voting rights and elections program, in a recent analysis.
Ms. O’Connor warned that the administration may “attempt to force states to remove voters from the rolls based on incomplete and likely inaccurate information” and “sow distrust in the election system ahead of the midterm elections.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Louisiana Republican, said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that he had not seen the Bondi letter, but that lawmakers are pushing the SAVE Act that would tighten voting laws by requiring proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate.
“We’re trying in Congress to deal with putting laws on the books that will make sure that we protect the integrity of the vote nationwide,” Mr. Scalise said. “States like Minnesota have had problems with voter integrity. We want a national standard, the SAVE Act, which makes sure illegals can’t vote, but also makes sure you show a picture ID.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.