Democratic lawmakers are calling for their colleagues to vote against a DHS funding bill in the Senate.
Democratic lawmakers urged their Senate colleagues to oppose Department of Homeland Security funding after federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, the second fatal shooting involving federal immigration officers in the city this month.
Why It Matters Earlier this week, seven House Democrats voted in favor of a $64.4 billion bill to advance a DHS spending measure that includes about $10 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement . The votes came during a markup of the DHS appropriations bill, with Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky casting the lone Republican vote against the funding, which passed 220-207 and will fund ICE and Federal Emergency Management Agency through September 30. Calls for the Senate to reject the measure intensified Saturday after Pretti’s death as video of the shooting spread widely online. What To Know Democrats have called for ICE to leave Minneapolis again, a city which recently mourned the death of Renee Nicole Good after ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot her on January 7. DHS has repeated that the officer acted in self-defense and that Good was a “domestic terrorist.“ In a statement to Newsweek about Saturday's fatal shooting, DHS said it occurred during a “targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault.” DHS said at approximately 9:05 AM CT, “an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” prompting an agent to fire “defensive shots.“ Medics on scene provided immediate aid, but the individual was pronounced dead at the scene, the agency said. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said during a press conference on Saturday that the police are unaware of what happened prior to the video recording and noted the individual had a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.“ In addition to calls to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Democrats have called upon their Senate colleagues to vote against the DHS funding bill. The bill requires 60 votes to pass, and Republicans have a 53-seat majority, meaning several Democrats would have to join them. The measure passed the House earlier this week, with the Democrats who joined Republican ranks warning that allowing DHS funding to lapse would harm disaster relief efforts and agencies like the Transportation Security Administration , while ICE and Customs and Border Protection would continue operating largely unaffected. Federal immigration officers deploy tear gas at protesters after a shooting on January 24 in Minneapolis. What People Are Saying Representative Angie Craig, a Minnesota Democrat, said in an X post: “The Senate is set to vote on DHS funding next week and Republicans can’t pass it without Democratic support. This is the time for Senate Dems to hold the line and withhold funding from this lawless agency. Enough is enough. Shut DHS down.” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, said in an X post Saturday: “Congress has not yet renewed ICE’s budget. House voted but Senate hasn’t yet. They need 10 Dem votes in the Senate. We can still stop it.” Senator Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, wrote in an X post: “These are not rogue agents. This is an all out assault on American life. ICE is a criminal organization that is entering homes without judicial warrants, detaining witnesses, and killing people. All at the direction of Trump. We must stop funding DHS. There is no other path forward.” In a separate post, he wrote, “We cannot keep living like this and people can’t keep dying like this. Stop funding DHS. Impeach Kristi Noem. Hold these agents accountable.” Representative Chuy Garcia, an Illinois Democrat, wrote in an X post: “I’m enraged by yet another killing in Minneapolis. This is state violence, carried out by Trump’s masked goons. DHS should not receive another dollar — no more funding for terror. ICE and CBP out of Minnesota now!” Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, wrote in an X post: “1. ICE must leave Minneapolis. 2. Congress should not fund this version of ICE - that is seeking confirmation, chaos and dystopia.” In a second post, he wrote: “The Senate should not vote to keep funding this rampage. We are not powerless. We do not need to accept this.“ Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, wrote in an X post: “ICE operations in Minnesota must end immediately. Congress must not continue funding an out of control and unaccountable DHS and ICE that have repeatedly escalated violence and so severely broken laws and Constitutional protections. Every minute these ICE operations continue on our streets is another minute they endanger the safety of Americans and further injure our communities.“ What Happens Next The measure is now in the Senate. Lawmakers face a partial government shutdown at the end of the month, with current funding expiring on January 30.
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