Senator Lindsey Graham has weighed in forcefully on the Minneapolis shooting, placing blame on sanctuary state and city policies and offering strong support for President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement strategy.
In a statement following the incident, Graham said the situation unfolding in Minnesota reflects the consequences of what he described as years of failed policies. He argued that sanctuary laws create instability and invite confrontation rather than safety. “President Donald Trump is absolutely correct that sanctuary state and city policies lead to chaos,” Graham said, adding that “radical paid protestors” further fuel disorder and danger on the ground.
President @realDonaldTrump is absolutely correct that sanctuary state and city policies lead to chaos. Radical paid protestors lead to chaos and danger.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 24, 2026
If liberal states and cities would enforce the law rather than entice illegal immigration through sanctuary state and city…
Graham’s comments come after a fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement officers during a targeted immigration operation in Minneapolis. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol agents were approached by an armed individual during the operation, leading to a struggle and defensive gunfire that resulted in the man’s death. Local officials and several Democratic leaders have sharply criticized the federal response, while protests and unrest followed the incident.
The suspect reportedly shot dead by federal agents today in Minneapolis drew a gun on them and defensive shots were fired, authorities say
— Border Hawk (@BorderHawkNews) January 24, 2026
Nonetheless, expect increased unrest in the Twin Cities starting immediately
Monitoring the situation . . .
pic.twitter.com/quELjjtAxA
Positioning himself squarely on the opposite side of that debate, Graham argued that responsibility lies not with federal agents but with state and local governments that limit cooperation with immigration authorities. He said that if liberal states and cities enforced existing immigration laws instead of what he called enticing illegal immigration through sanctuary policies, “we would not be dealing with this problem.”
The South Carolina Republican also praised Trump’s long-standing stance on immigration enforcement, saying the president recognized the dangers of sanctuary policies well before they became a central national issue. “President Trump understood this before anyone else,” Graham said, urging him to continue on his current path. “Mr. President, keep it up.”
Graham concluded by calling for a nationwide rollback of sanctuary policies, arguing that eliminating sanctuary states and cities is essential to restoring law and order. His remarks add to an increasingly polarized national response to the Minneapolis shooting, with Republican leaders largely defending federal enforcement actions and Democratic officials condemning them as excessive and dangerous.
