Two of Michigan’s Gubernatorial candidates are clashing on social media following President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to respond to growing unrest tied to immigration enforcement protests that have turned violent.
In a sharply worded post-Monday (June 9) morning, Republican State Senator Aric Nesbitt accused Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of siding with “Illegals and rioters” amid the California unrest.
“While Jocelyn Benson cheers on illegals and rioters in LA, let me make something clear,” Nesbitt posted on X. “As Michigan’s next Governor, I’ll work with POTUS and ICE to deport criminal illegals from our state and will NEVER let criminals burn our cities.”
Nesbitt’s message aligns closely with President Trump’s call for a tougher national stance on immigration and public demonstrations, including the recent federal deployment of military forces to manage civil unrest in major cities.
In an interview with Local 4, Nesbitt doubled down on his Tweet, saying he would push for Michigan to coordinate more closely with ICE to remove undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
He also criticized what he described as a “soft-on-crime, sanctuary-style agenda” from Democratic leaders.
“What Jocelyn Benson is saying is that folks physically trying to stop federal law enforcement is a good thing.
This is ridiculous. Let’s just get back to basics. Let’s get back to common sense. Local law enforcement should be working with federal law enforcement.
And when people intercede law enforcement, there’s, there’s consequences that happen, and let’s, let’s have law enforcement back.”
Republican State Senator Aric Nesbitt
Benson, who is seeking to become Michigan’s governor, sent out a Tweet on June 8, condemning the president’s actions and warning of what she called a “Tyrannical abuse of power.”
“As a military spouse whose career is inspired by the bravery of citizens who stood up for democracy during the civil rights movement—and the National Guard who protected them—I am appalled that President Trump is deploying our own military to quell protests against his regime.
It’s not who we are, it does not make us great, and I pray that no law-abiding people are hurt or worse due to this flagrant, tyrannical abuse of power.”
Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
The sharp exchange comes just days after President Trump authorized a joint military operation with federal immigration authorities, citing reports of “organized criminal activity” at several protest sites in Southern California.
Critics argue that the move violates civil liberties and exacerbates tensions in communities already on edge.
“At the end of the day, they were doing a job to enforce our laws, to take out criminal illegal aliens out of this country, folks that were whether dealing drugs or sex trafficking or other heinous crimes.
And hear these protests, which, again, if they were carrying signs and walking around a park chanting, nobody disagrees with that, but when you actually interfere with law enforcement actions trying to take violent thugs out of this country, I think that there’s a real challenge.”
Republican State Senator Aric Nesbitt
In Michigan, immigration and public safety have become key issues in the 2026 gubernatorial race.
Nesbitt has consistently aligned himself with Trump on enforcement and border security, while Benson has emphasized civil rights, democratic norms, and support for immigrant communities.
Local 4 reached out to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for comment on her X post, criticizing President Trump’s response to the violent protests in L.A., but we have not heard back.
The debate is likely to intensify as both campaigns look to galvanize their bases ahead of the August primary.
Early polling shows a tight race, with both candidates drawing sharp ideological contrasts on nearly every major issue, including policing, education, and economic development.
Watch the full interview below