Rep. Adam Smith to Newsmax: Trump's ICE Approach Is 'Confrontational'

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said on Newsmax on Saturday that immigration enforcement is "enormously important" but argued President Donald Trump is inflaming tensions by pursuing it in a "confrontational and escalatory" way, as protests and court fights intensify over federal immigration operations in Minneapolis.

Speaking on "Saturday Agenda," Smith pointed to street protests in Minneapolis and elsewhere as evidence that the administration risks turning immigration enforcement into a broader public-order confrontation.

He said the current posture is "very frustrating" because, in his view, the White House is pairing heated rhetoric with tactics he described as overly aggressive and untethered from traditional probable-cause standards.

"I think immigration enforcement is enormously important, but the way President Trump has gone about doing this has been confrontational and escalatory," he said.

Smith argued that federal agents should prioritize people accused or convicted of crimes, and he said he agrees with the basic concept of targeted arrests backed by warrants.

But, he said, that is not what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is doing in the current wave of operations.

Smith claimed agents have stopped vehicles and detained people without probable cause, including U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, and he criticized what he described as a lack of due process and an approach designed to "escalate" rather than de-escalate.

"You've seen windows smashed in, people pulled out. In many instances, these people are legal permanent residents. They're citizens. They're being detained without probable cause, without any due process, in an incredibly aggressive, confrontational manner," he said.

His remarks came as a federal judge in Minnesota imposed new limits on how federal immigration agents can treat truly peaceful protesters and observers in the Minneapolis area, including restrictions on detentions and the use of force unless there is reasonable suspicion or probable cause of criminal activity or obstruction.

The dispute has widened beyond the streets and into court filings and political retaliation claims.

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, The Washington Post reported, after administration officials alleged that local leaders interfered with federal enforcement and escalated tensions.

Smith urged the president to "tone down" talk of extraordinary measures, including invoking the Insurrection Act, and he criticized suggestions that the governor of Minnesota should be arrested.

"I would urge President Trump to tone down that rhetoric and actually do what he said he was going to do, which is go after the criminals instead of going after, you know, children in schools and people who are at work," he said.

The Department of Homeland Security, for its part, has defended its actions as lawful and necessary, and it has highlighted a broader narrative of rising attacks on immigration officers during enforcement operations.

DHS says ICE operations target offenders, highlighting arrests DHS labels the "worst of the worst," not dragnets. DHS reports a 1,300% increase in assaults and an 8,000% surge in ICE death threats, blaming "sanctuary" cities and political rhetoric for the rise.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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