For Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the Trump administration’s immigration policy has nothing to do with security—it’s about cruelty.
In a sharp critique on Meet the Press, he slammed the president’s border strategy as both “lawless and discriminatory,” arguing that the administration is purposefully ignoring the law to enforce a heartless agenda.
“This administration is violating the law every single day,” Murphy said. “They’re not targeting dangerous individuals. They’re arresting kids about to graduate high school. They’re entering private homes. They’re doing raids at Home Depot.”
Murphy was referring to recent immigration raids, saying they hit Latino communities hardest—even those who are here legally.
He said the administration’s intent seems more about fear than safety.
“This isn’t about keeping the country safer. It’s about making people afraid of anyone who speaks a different language or comes from a different place,” he said.
Murphy had been one of the lead negotiators on a bipartisan immigration bill proposed the year before. The legislation included increased border security funding and reforms to align laws with what he called “the current reality.”
He acknowledged the need for a secure border but insisted that any effort must also include meaningful legal reform.
“Yes, we should have a bipartisan commitment, not just to funding the border but to fixing the laws themselves,” he said.
When asked if the Trump administration deserved credit for a decline in border crossings, Murphy pushed back.
“I don’t give them credit,” he said. “We have laws that say if you’re fleeing terror or torture, you can come here and apply for asylum. The Trump administration is not letting anyone in to do that.”
In his view, the drop in crossings has little to do with smart policymaking—and everything to do with harsh restrictions that overlook the legal rights of asylum seekers.
Murphy warned that repeated violations of immigration law reflect a broader erosion of democratic norms.
“This is becoming a lawless administration,” he said. “We’re watching our democracy wear down in ways that may be hard to reverse.”
The Trump administration says its immigration policies are all about keeping the country secure and sticking to the rule of law. Still, the debate over the approach continues to divide Congress.
Murphy said real progress depends on returning to the bipartisan table, something he believes is still possible — but increasingly urgent.
