Democratic Senator Mark Kelly is urging federal immigration agents to ‘stand up’ to President Donald Trump’s deportation orders as his administration is targeting new crackdown efforts.
‘You can’t be told to violate people’s constitutional rights. People have to stand up and say, no, I’m not going to do that,’ Kelly told Deseret News of federal immigration agents.
‘I’d like to see them wearing an ID, not wearing masks and telling Stephen Miller, or Kristi Noem that we will follow the law and there are limits to what we will do. And we’re not violating people’s constitutional rights,’ he added.
Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, noted how there have been instances where US citizens were rounded up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and deported.
‘By the way, you don’t have to follow unlawful orders,’ he added.
He is far from the first Democrat who has urged federal officers and US citizens to resist Trump’s deportation agenda.
Kelly’s resistance to Trump comes as the administration is reportedly readying for a new deportation battleground.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden was told this week that agents from US Customs and Border Patrol will be arriving in the Charlotte area either Sunday or early next week, Politico reports.
Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly urged immigration officials to defy Trump’s ‘unlawful’ orders in a recent interview
The Department of Homeland Securtiy expects to deport around 600,000 migrants in Trump’s first year in office
The president has said he plans on deploying federal agents to additional US cities to help with deportations and crime
‘We value and welcome the renewed collaboration and open communication with our federal partners,’ McFadden said. ‘It allows us to stay informed and be proactive in keeping Mecklenburg County safe and to maintain the level of trust our community deserves.’
The sheriff’s office has stated it won’t be supporting any deportation efforts conducted by CBP or ICE.
Trump has made deportations a central pillar of his second term and so far has ordered immigration round-ups in various cities.
He has so far sent soldiers and immigration officials to Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Like the aforementioned cities, Charlotte is a Democratic stronghold.
It is also the location where the tragic, unprovoked murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutskahas occurred earlier this year.
Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of murdering Zarutskahas, has a long criminal rap sheet and was arrested over a dozen times before ultimately murdering the refugee.
Trump has spoken out against Brown, highlighting his criminal history as a reason why Democrat-run cities like Charlotte are too lax on crime.
ICE agents making an arrest in Phoenix on May 21, 2025
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is estimating that, based on its current rates, close to 600,000 deportations will take place by the end of Trump’s first year in office.
Neither DHS nor the White House responded to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
