Republican candidates facing competitive races are confronting a growing political problem: Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations are drawing attention not only to deportation policy, but also to their effects on local businesses, schools and families. In southwest Kansas, ICE activity in four rural towns this week led some businesses to close temporarily. Schools urged families to arrange for someone else to pick up children if parents were detained. Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who is seeking reelection in a race expected to be more difficult than usual, said he had contacted Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and criticized ICE for failing to coordinate with local law enforcement. “ We must keep our communities safe, but it has to be done in a responsible and secure manner,” Marshall said in a statement Thursday. He later said the lack of communication had caused major disruption for communities and businesses. The Kansas Livestock Association and livestock groups in Oklahoma and Texas warned that enforcement activity was having a “massive chilling effect” on documented workers who help sustain the beef supply chain. Association CEO Matt Teagarden said raids affect the economy and that the way enforcement is conducted matters. Mullin said Friday that ICE was not carrying out worksite operations in Kansas, but was pursuing people including “heinous criminals” and immigrants with final removal orders. The Department of Homeland Security said the administration was committed to a historic deportation campaign and that ICE was enforcing laws passed by Congress. The tension is appearing in other battlegrounds, too. In Florida, businesses have reported a drop in sales amid enforcement activity, and Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar has run ads in English and Spanish saying the administration has gone too far. In Texas, where one in five ICE arrests nationwide has occurred this year, Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz has emphasized that enforcement should focus on criminals and cartels, not immigrants following the legal process. Texas Democrat Bobby Pulido, who is challenging De La Cruz, said his campaign has received more than 80 requests for immigration assistance from residents in South Texas and has referred them to pro bono lawyers. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson has made the fatal shooting of Colombian man Duran Guerrero a focus of his Senate campaign against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Collins has said she supports safeguards for ICE officers, including body cameras and de-escalation training. The political pressure comes as public opinion shows limits to support for the administration’s approach. A recent national poll found 49% of U.S. adults considered mass deportations too aggressive, compared with 26% who said the policy was about right and 14% who wanted a tougher approach. Business groups have also raised concerns that raids can disrupt workforces, including in construction and meatpacking. Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said border security remained important but suggested the administration may have misjudged the public response. “It is going to be one of the factors people are weighing in the election,” he said. In Kansas, Democratic Senate nominee Adam Hamilton said the enforcement activity was not an acceptable way for Washington to treat residents. Some Republicans have defended Marshall, saying he does not control when ICE launches operations. Others, including Kansas state Rep. Jim Minnix, said closer cooperation with local law enforcement could have prevented some of the disruption. The disputes reflect a difficult balance for Republicans: Their party has promised aggressive immigration enforcement, while voters and local employers are raising concerns about its consequences. With the midterms approaching, candidates in competitive races are increasingly trying to distinguish support for border security from approval of the administration’s tactics.