MAGA Candidate Rages After ICE Targets Family Member For Deportation—And The Hypocrisy Is Rich

Maine's former Tea Party Republican Governor Paul LePage recently returned to the state from his home in Florida to vie for the seat held by retiring Democratic Representative Jared Golden in Maine's 2nd congressional district.

LePage was governor from 2011-2019 and dubbed himself "Trump before Trump" over his bigoted comments, divisive policies, and his frequent tantrums and attacks on opponents and the press.

After MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's election, LePage abandoned his Tea Party values to go full MAGA, eventually relocating to Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' Florida. A very vocal supporter of Trump and MAGA's White supremacist and Christian nationalist platform, LePage is now singing a different tune.

Like most MAGA minions, LePage is taking exception to Trump's agenda now that he's been personally affected. Speaking to the press after being endorsed by a law enforcement union, LePage lamented about a member of his family being targeted by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

LePage told reporters:

"My son’s wife’s dad is here legally. But he’s being deported because he came from a country that’s not to the liking to certain people in Washington. That’s not right."

You can see local news coverage here:

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LePage added:

"He has a work permit. He should be allowed to stay."

"Would I go after everybody that's here that have work permits and have been here for decades? Probably not. I'd probably go for the gang people and the criminals."

LePage's sudden bout of empathy wasn't well received.

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LePage will face Democratic state auditor Matt Dunlap in November to decide who will represent Maine's 2nd congressional district in Congress.

When asked about his opponent's change of heart about ICE, Dunlap told the New York Times:

"Paul LePage is no friend to immigrants or their families. He spent eight years demonizing them as governor, and he welcomed ICE’s overreach into Maine."

As governor, LePage ranted about asylum seekers and pushed policies limiting the number of refugees allowed in Maine and to limit state programs for immigrants.

The people LePage targeted then were also in the United States legally. He just wasn't related to them.