A growing number of Republicans are pressing for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man in Minneapolis, a sign that the accounting of events by President Donald Trump’s administration may face bipartisan scrutiny.
A growing number of Republicans are pressing for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man in Minneapolis, a sign that the accounting of events by President Donald Trump’s administration may face bipartisan scrutiny.
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee sought testimony from leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying “my top priority remains keeping Americans safe.”
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., said in a statement that he takes oversight of the Department of Homeland Security seriously and that “Congress has an important responsibility to ensure the safety of law enforcement and the people they serve and protect.”
The push for more information was echoed by the committee’s former chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, along with Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Their statements, in addition to concern expressed from several Republican governors, reflected a party struggling with how to respond to Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a VA hospital.
The killing has raised uncomfortable questions about the GOP’s core positions on issues ranging from gun ownership to states’ rights and trust in the federal government.
Cassidy, who is facing a Trump-backed challenger in his reelection bid, said in a social media post that the shooting was “incredibly disturbing” and that the “credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake.
