The administration has maintained that Good attempted to hit a federal agent with her vehicle during the confrontation. But that account has been widely disputed based on videos circulating online, and the incident has become a rallying point for Democratic anger at federal enforcement tactics.
“I think the party is very unified in our disdain and concern of the actions certainly of DHS and ICE,” said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “We should campaign on fairness and due process for all people, which is being violated every single day by ICE and DHS. We should be aggressive in that posture.”
Chuck Rocha, a Democratic strategist advising House and Senate candidates on immigration, acknowledged the party’s internal fractures. “We’re Democrats. I’m sure we’re going to have 50 different ideas and 50 different ways to say it,” he said.
The party’s credibility on the issue has been weakened by border enforcement policies under President Joe Biden. A Washington Post/Ipsos poll from September found that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults trusted Republicans more to handle immigration, compared with about 3 in 10 who said the same about Democrats. On crime, Republicans held a wider advantage, with about 44 percent saying Republicans were better equipped to handle it, compared with 22 percent for Democrats.
Some Democrats are attempting to pivot back to core economic messages. “I want everybody to understand, the cuts to your health care are what’s paying for ICE to be doing this,” New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said last week. Democratic strategists have circulated the clip as an example of a potentially effective pitch, particularly after Trump slashed funding for some safety net programs in his first year in office.
Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and Biden’s former domestic policy adviser, suggested the party could strike a balance between security and civil rights. “It’s not too much to ask that we have a government that can produce a secure border, that can deport people who are not legally here, and that can also respect people’s civil and human rights,” she said. “This country has done that before, and it can do it again.”
The Trump administration has shown no sign of backing down. The administration has ramped up the number of federal agents deployed to Minnesota, and the Justice Department issued subpoenas to Minnesota Democrats, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, as part of an investigation into whether they obstructed or impeded enforcement operations.
Trump’s approval rating on immigration has declined since he took office. According to AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research polling, his approval on the issue fell from 49 percent in March to 38 percent in January.
Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest Hispanic civil rights group in the U.S., said crackdowns have created political vulnerability for Republicans. “Republican members of Congress are really uncomfortable with these agencies and their existing tactics, because they know it’s going to hurt them back at home come election cycle,” he said. But he noted a shift in Democratic response since the incident became public. “I think everyone just gasped at that, and I think there has been a marked shift since then,” he said.
Some figures who have supported Trump in the past have expressed reservations. Podcast host Joe Rogan asked, “Are we really going to be the Gestapo?”
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, who formerly led the party in Minnesota, said the incident has shaken the party. “There’s a lot of pain and anguish,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s heartbreaking. It’s chilling to think that this is the United States of America, what is supposed to be a beacon for democracy and freedom.”
Republicans remain confident in their messaging. “If Democrats want to make 2026 a referendum on which party stands for strong immigration policies and protecting public safety, we will take that fight any day of the week,” said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar.