Washington, United States. Democrats on the US House Homeland Security Committee questioned President Donald Trump’s top immigration officials on Tuesday over the administration’s crackdown, in the first such hearing since two US citizens were killed in Minneapolis.
Hearing follows fatal shootings in Minneapolis
Committee Democrats repeatedly criticized the officials after federal immigration officers fatally shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Trump escalated immigration enforcement in Minneapolis in January, leading to clashes between masked immigration officers and residents opposed to broad immigration sweeps that have picked up many people with no criminal record, including families and children. After the shootings, top Trump officials described Good and Pretti as “domestic terrorists” and aggressors, but video evidence contradicted those statements.
Funding dispute and calls for ICE changes
Democrats said the fallout from the killings became a tipping point after months of intensifying enforcement and led them to hold up funding for the US Department of Homeland Security in January, agreeing to a short-term funding extension that expires on Friday.
Democrats said ICE must be reformed and demanded that officers remove masks, wear body cameras and prioritize enforcement focused on criminal offenders.
Garbarino calls for impartial investigation
US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, a Republican, called for a full investigation into the killings in opening remarks, differing from Trump officials who blamed Good and Pretti in the hours after the shootings.
“There must be a complete and impartial investigation,” Garbarino said. “I expect each of our witnesses to keep this committee fully informed as the investigations run their course … While these investigations are ongoing, officials and elected leaders cannot rush to judgment.”
Thompson criticizes DHS leadership
The top Democrat on the committee, Bennie Thompson, criticized the administration’s aggressive enforcement in US cities and reiterated his call for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign, saying her department “has the blood of American citizens on its hand.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officials who testified
Testifying on Tuesday were Todd Lyons, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Rodney Scott, commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection; and Joe Edlow, director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
What changes, if any, do you think Congress should require in federal immigration enforcement tactics?
