Overview
- Never Surrender, Inc., President Donald Trump’s leadership PAC, sent a fundraising email titled “Are you an illegal alien?” that warned, “Are you a proud American Citizen or does ICE need to come and track you down?”
- PoliticalEmails.org archived two versions of the Jan. 28 message from contact@win.donaldjtrump.com, labeled as paid for by Never Surrender, Inc., corroborating its authenticity.
- Clicking the “TAKE CITIZENS ONLY SURVEY” button led to a form that asked about citizenship and other demographics and required a minimum $26 donation to submit, with options up to $3,300.
- The solicitation circulated days after federal immigration agents fatally shot Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, a backdrop that heightened public sensitivity to ICE-related rhetoric.
- Issue One and Public Citizen criticized the appeal as fear-based and “chilling,” while reporters noted no clear legal violation and no immediate comment from the White House.