In the lead-up to the Ohio primary on Tuesday, Republicans have targeted Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, suggesting he’s not being loyal to illegal immigrants.
In an interview, Brown stated, “I support closing borders to prevent free crossing, but I believe that individuals who commit crimes should be deported.” These remarks have sparked discussions about his voting history, which has traditionally opposed border security and deportations since the early Trump administration.
Brown, who has held a Senate seat from 2007 until 2025, lost to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in 2024 and is now vying for the position currently held by Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who took over after Vice President J.D. Vance’s appointment.
Comments from Democratic senators from critical battleground states looking to make a return after 2024 defeats have emerged, noting that Ohio’s Senate race promises to be intensely competitive, with substantial funding from both parties as immigration remains a heated topic.
Historically, Brown has consistently opposed President Trump’s border policies. He has voted multiple times to secure federal funding for sanctuary cities and has co-sponsored efforts to repeal policies aimed at mass deportation initiated during Trump’s presidency.
- He supported legislation to reverse Trump’s executive priorities for deportations.
- He opposed allocating resources for ICE to detain and deport illegal aliens with criminal records.
- Brown has voted against measures aimed at preventing amnesty for criminal aliens.
- In 2001, he voted against funding for deportations of criminal aliens.
These past votes seem at odds with his recent statements. Additionally, Brown has labeled the idea of building a wall on the southern border as ineffective and often resorts to harsh language when discussing it, describing it as “stupid” and “wrong.”
Attempts to reach Brown’s campaign for a comment didn’t yield a quick response.
With Ohio’s Senate race heating up, campaign manager Husted emphasized, “This November, voters will face a decision between their past and future.” Drew Thompson recently mentioned that they have embarked on a million-dollar ad campaign for Husted’s Senate campaign, even without opposition in the primary.
Thompson remarked that Brown’s long record of supporting sanctuary cities and illegal immigration would “haunt” him in the election and made the case that Brown, who previously claimed to hear about illegal immigration only from the far right, is now back in Washington, pushing for policies he’s backed for over three decades.
Various Senate seats across the country, including those in Alaska, Georgia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire, are seeing increased attention as they remain tightly contested.
NRSC spokesperson Nick Puglia asserted that Brown’s statements are misleading and that voters recognize his long-standing alliance with liberals like Kamala Harris in maintaining open borders and protecting dangerous criminals from deportation.
