Senators pressed top immigration officials Thursday on the federal government’s deportation tactics, shortly after border czar Tom Homan announced that the widely criticized enforcement operation in Minnesota is coming to an end.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing focused on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s tactics, training standards, use of force and transparency, following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers.
ICE chief Todd Lyons, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow defended their agencies’ approaches while facing criticism from lawmakers over the scope and style of immigration operations. A chunk of the session centered on Pretti’s death, including bystander video of the encounter being played during the hearing.
Scott vowed that body-worn camera footage of the killing of Pretti will be made public “when it’s appropriate,” but said he would not “jump to a conclusion” about the incident until all evidence is evaluated.
“I would ask America to do the same thing, but I am committed to transparency, to making sure all the information we have is made public when it’s appropriate,” Scott said.
The session followed testimony earlier this week before the House Homeland Security Committee, in which Lyons refused to apologize for administration officials calling Good and Pretti “domestic terrorists.” During Thursday’s hearing, the ICE chief told the committee that he never described Pretti as a domestic terrorist to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who used the phrase publicly in the hours after Pretti’s killing.
Reactions from lawmakers poured in throughout the hearing as they learned of the news that federal agents would be departing Minnesota after weeks of scrutiny.
“Tom Homan being there and now saying we’re going to reduce this presence in the streets is a good sign and a good step forward, and I’m glad that’s happening,” said Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey said despite the fact that the surge in Minnesota is concluding, the “damage has been done.”
The committee first heard from four top Minnesota officials on a separate panel Thursday, including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison; Republican Rep. Tom Emmer; GOP state Rep. Harry Niska; and Paul Schnell, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
“Operation Metro Surge is about retribution, not law enforcement,” Ellison told the committee.
Schnell accused the Trump administration of creating a “false narrative” that “Minneapolis is a lawless sanctuary where dangerous criminals are allowed to slip through the cracks.”
As officials intensely denounced the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and demanded accountability, several heated exchanges also unfolded, including when Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., accused Ellison of contributing to the deaths of Good and Pretti. “You encouraged trained activists to put themselves into harm’s way,” Johnson said to Ellison. “I would think you’d actually, as the chief law enforcement officer of Minnesota, be concerned about people obstructing justice.” Ellison denied those allegations and said he always encouraged people to protest peacefully. “You’ll never find me being against the First Amendment,” he added. Emmer called the “chaos” in Minneapolis preventable and criticized local officials including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “It didn’t have to be this way,” Emmer said. The testimony unfolded against the backdrop of broader debates in Congress over Department of Homeland Security funding and oversight, with immigration enforcement policy at the center of disagreements. A potential government shutdown is looming as lawmakers struggle to reach a deal on funding the DHS, which could cause a lapse in funding for the agency at the end of the week. Democrats are demanding a series of reforms including requiring judicial warrants before agents enter private property and banning ICE agents from wearing masks.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics. Recommended
