Republicans accuse Sherrod Brown of lying about his immigration record

Republicans are calling out Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown for disrespecting illegal immigration just days before Tuesday's Ohio election.

“I support closing the border to people so they can't cross the border at will, but I also say, we should be deporting people who have committed crimes,” Brown said in an interview last month, prompting a review of his voting record.

Those comments raised concerns about Brown trying to rewrite his voting record that has shown long-standing opposition to border security and the deportation of criminal aliens since the first Trump administration.

Brown served in the Senate for three terms (2007-2025), nearly two full decades, before being defeated in 2024 by Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. Now, Brown wants the seat of Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who was appointed to replace Vice President JD Vance at the start of Trump's second administration.

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Brown has been on the left side against President Donald Trump's security and border enforcement as a congressman. Not only has he voted at least 10 times to protect federal funding for sanctuary cities from his time in the House in 2001 through his third Senate term in 2024, and:

• He co-sponsored the 2019 End Mass Deportation Act, which sought to reverse Trump's executive order prioritizing deporting illegal immigrants and withholding funding for sanctuary cities.
• Voted against ensuring that ICE “has adequate resources to detain and deport large numbers of illegal aliens with criminal convictions.”
• Voted against funding to prevent criminal immigration from receiving amnesty.
• He voted to end the deportation of criminal aliens in 2001.

Brown's voting record shows a discrepancy between his recent comments and his past votes and public positions.

Brown has repeatedly argued against the construction of the southern border wall as “non-functional,” calling the idea “stupid,” “wrong” and “ridiculous.” In the past you have voted:

Fox News Digital reached out to Brown's campaign for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

The Ohio Senate race figures to be very competitive this summer, drawing big campaign dollars from both sides in the quest for a Senate majority, with immigration remaining a top issue.

“This November, the people of Ohio will have a clear choice between the past and the future,” Husted's campaign manager Drew Thompson told Signal Cleveland, which reported a $1 million ad campaign for his Senate race this week, despite running unopposed in the primary. “Jon Husted is starting early by taking his case to voters who are ready for a new and more rational approach to Washington.”

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Brown's 32-year record of voting for sanctuary cities and illegal immigration will come back to haunt him in the state, Thompson said in a statement.

“After shocking Ohioans in 2024 by saying they only hear about illegal immigration from far away, Sherrod Brown now wants to return to Washington and continue the open border policies of the Biden era that he supported for 32 years,” the statement read. “Jon Husted, meanwhile, is working to clean up Sherrod Brown's mess by funding border security, supporting border agents, and advocating for legislation.”

Ohio is one of three races considered a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. The campaign for the re-election of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the open Michigan seat vacated by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., for two others.

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, was nominated to fill Vice President JD Vance's Senate seat and now faces his first real re-election test in a key battleground state. (Getty Images)

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Senate seats in Alaska (lean GOP), Georgia (Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.), North Carolina (lean Democrat) and New Hampshire (lean Democrat) are other close races drawing attention and campaign dollars.

“Sherrod Brown's lies will not fool the people of Ohio,” NRSC regional press secretary Nick Puglia said in a statement. “They know Brown has fought for more than half a century alongside liberals like Kamala Harris to open our borders and protect dangerous criminals from deportation.”