A growing number of Republicans are pressing for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man in Minneapolis. And those calls are a sign that the accounting of events by President Donald Trump\u2019s administration may face bipartisan scru.<\/b>
\nA 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 Trump administration’s accounting of events may face bipartisan scrutiny.
A host of other congressional Republicans, including Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd of North Carolina, pressing for more information. Their statements, in addition to concern expressed from several Republican governors, reflected a party struggling with how to respond to Saturday\u2019s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a VA hospital.
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Trump administration officials were quick to cast Pretti as the instigator. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was among those who said Pretti \u201capproached\u201d immigration officers with a gun and acted violently. Videos from the scene show Pretti being pushed by an officer and then a half-dozen agents descend on him. During the scuffle, he is holding a phone but is never seen brandishing the 9mm semiautomatic handgun police say he was licensed to carry.
Tillis, who is not seeking reelection in 2026, was critical of both Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who, in the early hours after Pretti’s death, described the 37-year-old as an «assassin» who «tried to murder federal agents.»
«This guy, after doing the stupid comments he made about Greenland, getting the president in a difficult circumstance, is one of the people that came out publicly and said that this guy was a terrorist before he had even talked with anybody on the ground», Tillis said. «That’s clearly not the case now.»
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.
In a statement on X, Budd said Pretti’s death never should have happened and that initial rushes to judgement «did not meet the standard that American’s should expect from their government officials.»
«I\u2019d also like to remind federal leaders that words matter. Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms, and the mere possession of a firearm does not represent a threat justifying lethal force», Budd said.
Tillis went on to say that both Miller and Noem have destroyed the immigration issue for Republicans, saying Noem has taken a position that Republicans and the administration should own «into the ground.»
Both Tillis and Budd voted to confirm Noem into her role as DHS secretary. While Budd did not say if he supported Noem keeping her job, Tillis said both Noem and Miller would not be in the White House if he was president.
«We should own the issue of border security and immigration, but they have destroyed that for Republicans, something that got the president elected», Tillis said. «They have destroyed it through their incompetence.»
WRAL News in Raleigh reached out to DHS and the White House for a response related to Tillis’ comments and is waiting for a response.
Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also have pressed for more information
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino sought testimony from leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying \u201cmy top priority remains keeping Americans safe.\u201d
Cassidy, who is facing a Trump-backed challenger in his reelection bid, said on social media that the shooting was \u201cincredibly disturbing\u201d and that the \u201ccredibility of ICE and DHS are at stake.\u201d He pushed for \u201ca full joint federal and state investigation.\u201d Tillis, who is not seeking reelection, urged a \u201cthorough and impartial investigation\u201d and said \u201cany administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump\u2019s legacy.\u201d
Murkowski called for an investigation and added that \u201cICE agents do not have carte blanche in carrying out their duties.\u201d Collins, the only incumbent Republican senator facing reelection in a state Democrat Kamala Harris carried in 2024, said a probe is needed \u201cto determine whether or not excessive force was used in a situation that may have been able to be diffused without violence.\u201d
While calling for protesters to \u201ckeep space\u201d from law enforcement and not interfere, Collins said federal law enforcement must «recognize both the public\u2019s right to protest and the highly charged situation they now face.\u201d
Even Sen. Pete Ricketts, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, called for a \u201cprioritized, transparent investigation.\u201d
\u201cMy support for funding ICE remains the same,\u201d the Nebraska Republican, who is up for reelection, said online. \u201cBut we must also maintain our core values as a nation, including the right to protest and assemble.\u201d
Trump and other administration officials remained firm in their defense of the hard-line immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis, blaming Democrats in the state along with local law enforcement for not working with them. Many Republicans either echoed that sentiment or stayed silent.
In a lengthy social media post on Sunday evening, Trump called on Minnesota’s Democratic leadership to \u201cformally cooperate\u201d with his administration and pressed Congress to ban so-called sanctuary cities.
Trump has enjoyed nearly complete loyalty from fellow Republicans during his first year back in the White House. But the positions staked out in the wake of the shooting signal the administration will face at least some pushback within the party in its swift effort to define Pretti, who protested Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown, as a violent demonstrator.
Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller issued social media posts referencing an \u201cassassin\u201d and \u201cdomestic terrorist» while Noem said Pretti showed up to \u201cimpede a law enforcement operation.\u201d
At a minimum, some Republicans are calling for a de-escalation in Minneapolis.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt told CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union\u201d that the shooting was a \u201creal tragedy\u201d and Trump needs to define an \u201cend game.\u201d
\u201cNobody likes the feds coming to their states,\u201d Stitt said. \u201cAnd so what is the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-U.S. citizen? I don\u2019t think that\u2019s what Americans want.\u201d
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said the shooting was \u201cnot acceptable.\u201d
\u201cAt best, these federal immigration operations are a complete failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices, training and leadership,\u201d he said in a post. \u201cAt worst, it’s deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens.\u201d
Echoing criticism that local law enforcement isn\u2019t cooperating with federal officials, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., suggested the administration focus its immigration efforts elsewhere.
\u201cIf I were President Trump, I would almost think about if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm\u2019s way and there\u2019s a chance of losing more innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide do we want to continue to have all these illegals?\u201d he told \u201cSunday Morning Futures\u201d on the Fox News Channel. \u201cI think the people of Minnesota would rebel against their leadership.\u201d
Pretti’s killing comes at a sensitive moment for the GOP as the party prepares for a challenging midterm election year. Trump has fomented a sense of chaos on the world stage, bringing the NATO alliance to the brink last week. Domestically, Trump has struggled to respond to widespread affordability concerns.
Meanwhile, approval of his handling of immigration \u2014 long a political asset for the president and the GOP \u2014 has tumbled. Just 38% of U.S. adults approved of how Trump was handling immigration in January, down from 49% in March, according to an AP-NORC poll.
The killing spurred notable tension with the GOP’s long-standing support for gun rights. Officials say Pretti was armed, but no bystander videos that have surfaced so far appear to show him holding a weapon. The Minneapolis police chief said Pretti had a permit to carry a gun.
Yet administration officials, including Noem and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have questioned why he was armed. Speaking on ABC’s \u201cThis Week» Bessent said that when he has attended protests, \u201cI didn’t bring a gun. I brought a billboard.\u201d
Such comments were notable for a party where support for the Second Amendment’s protection of gun ownership is foundational. Indeed, many in the GOP, including Trump, lifted Kyle Rittenhouse into prominence when the then-17-year-old former police youth cadet shot three men, killing two of them, during a 2020 protest in Wisconsin against police brutality. He was acquitted of all charges after testifying that he acted in self defense.
In the wake of Pretti’s killing, gun rights advocates noted that it is legal to carry firearms during protests.
\u201cEvery peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms \u2014 including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their First Amendment rights,\u201d the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said in a statement. \u201cThese rights do not disappear when someone is lawfully armed.\u201d
In a social media post, the National Rifle Association said \u201cresponsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.\u201d
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is often critical of the White House, said \u201ccarrying a firearm is not a death sentence.\u201d
\u201cIt’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right,\u201d he said, «and if you don\u2019t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.
The second-ranking Justice Department official said he was aware of reports that Pretti was lawfully armed.
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with anybody lawfully carrying firearms,\u201d Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on \u201cMeet the Press\u201d on NBC. \u201cBut just make no mistake about it, this was an incredibly split-second decision that had to be made by ICE officers.\u201d
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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report<\/p>\n