Did Pam Bondi say ICE would leave Minnesota if voter rolls are turned over to Trump? What letter actually says

Pam Bondi's letter demands that Governor Tim Walz share voter roll data with the DOJ. Senator Chris Murphy claims this request is politically motivated.

A letter from US Attorney General Pam Bondi, as reported by Fox News, has demanded Minnesota Governor Tim Walz cooperate in sharing voter roll data with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice after the shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Pam Bondi's letter demands that Governor Tim Walz share voter roll data with the DOJ. Senator Chris Murphy claims this request is politically motivated. Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg (Bloomberg)

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut alleged in a post on X that immigration enforcement is being used to influence elections in swing states.

Murphy’s remarks come amid ongoing tensions over federal ICE and Border Patrol operations in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol officers.

Bondi's letter

In the letter, Bondi's demands include access to Minnesota's voter registry as well as information on Medicaid and food-assistance programs.

She wrote in the letter, “Share all of Minnesota’s records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program data, with the federal government. ”

She added later, "Allow the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to access voter rolls to confirm that Minnesota’s voter registration practices comply with federal law as authorized by the Civil Rights Act of 1960."

The letter also calls to end “sanctuary policies” and support cooperation with ICE and other federal agencies. She detailed that this would allow the state to probe into fraud and reduce "crime and violence."

“Allowing the federal government to efficiently investigate fraud will save Minnesota taxpayers’ money and ensure that Minnesota’s welfare funds are being used to help those in need,” Bondi wrote in the letter.

Murphy's allegations

Chris Murphy, in an X post, implied that Bondi issued a letter to Minnesota officials saying that ICE would leave if the state gave Trump access to its voter database. However, the letter only asks for cooperation from the state officials in support of ICE officers.

Murphy claims in the post that the timing and breadth of the request appear linked to political aims rather than legal oversight. “This has never been about safety or immigration,” Murphy wrote in his post.

He added that the letter conditions federal action on access to voter data, which could allow the Trump administration to “take over elections in swing states.”