WATCH: Red State Governor Trashes Trump, Backs Leftist Talking Points On Minneapolis Unrest

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, trashed President Donald Trump’s immigration policy and claimed that Trump voters did not vote for mass deportations while speaking with CNN’s Dana Bash.

Stitt joined the program to discuss the ongoing Operation Metro Surge — the Trump Administration’s title for the surge of more than 2,000 federal immigration agents to the Twin Cities region — and the ongoing unrest fueled by leftist agitators. The unrest erupted once again on Saturday, when 37-year-old Alex Pretti was shot and killed after attempting to draw a weapon on federal immigration agents.

Stitt — who governs a state that was carried by President Trump by more than 30 percentage points in 2024 — claimed that the “broad agreement” Trump made was to simply close the border. “President Trump closed the border, promised to get violent criminals out of our country, and I think everybody agrees with that. But now Americans are asking themselves, what is the end game? What is the solution?” he said.

“And we believe in federalism and state rights, and nobody likes feds coming into their state. And so what’s the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non -US citizen? I don’t think that’s what Americans want,” the self-identified Republican governor continued.  “We have to stop politicizing this. We need real solutions on immigration reform.”

Bash then asked Stitt to clarify whether he was calling on President Trump to pull federal agents out of Minneapolis.

“Well, I think that the president has to answer that question. He is a dealmaker. And he’s getting bad advice right now. The president needs to let the American people, what is the solution? How do we bring this to conclusion? And I think only the president can answer that question, because it’s complicated,” the red state governor answered.

“We have to enforce federal laws, but we need to know what is the end game. And I don’t think it’s to deport every single non-U.S. citizen.”

Stitt also promoted his idea to provide states with greater authority to issue work permits to non-citizens.

In 2024, he enacted his Oklahoma State Work Permits and Visas Task Force via executive order. The governor has described the initiative as an effort to “find ways to bolster our workforce and create legal pathways for migrant workers to legitimately contribute to our state without fear,” and to explore opportunities for foreign-born workers to “contribute legally.”

“The border crisis has forced states to find solutions where the Biden Administration has failed. That’s why I launched the Oklahoma State Work Permits and Visas Task Force. We want to find ways to create opportunities for people who want to be here and contribute to society,” he said in a May 2024 social media post.

In February of this year, Stitt joined Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, in publicly urging the administration to allow states a larger role in immigration decisions, including issuing work permits.

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