After the fatal shooting of US citizen Alex Pretti In Minneapolis, calls for a comprehensive investigation into the case are also growing louder among Republicans. The chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the House of Representatives, Andrew Garbarino, demanded on Sunday that the management of the immigration agency ICE, the border protection agency CBP and the central immigration agency USCIS should answer questions. “My top priority remains protecting the Americans,” the Republican explained.
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana wrote on social media that the deadly shooting in Minneapolis was “extremely disturbing.” The credibility of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security is at stake. There must be a comprehensive joint investigation at the federal and state levels. His Senate colleague Thom Tillis also called for a “thorough and impartial” investigation and criticized the federal government’s response to the incident. “Any government official who rushes to judgment and attempts to shut down an investigation before it begins does a tremendous disservice to the nation and President Trump’s legacy.” (ap)
Senator: “ICE agents don’t have carte blanche”
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who has long been considered one of the few Republicans critical of Trump, also called for an investigation and emphasized: “ICE agents do not have carte blanche to carry out their duties.” Her colleague Susan Collins of Maine said an investigation was necessary “to determine whether excessive force was used in a situation that potentially could have been defused without force.” At the same time, Collins called on demonstrators to “keep their distance” from the security forces and not to hinder them.
Even Senator Pete Ricketts, a staunch Trump ally, called for a “priority, transparent” investigation in a post. “My support for funding ICE remains unchanged. But we must also preserve our core values as a nation, including Right to protest and to gather,” the Nebraska Republican added.
Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Kevin Stitt called the Minneapolis shooting incident on CNN a “real tragedy.” Trump must make it clear what the “end goal” is. “Nobody likes federal authorities coming into their state. And so now the question is: What is the goal? Should every single non-U.S. citizen really be deported? I don’t think that’s what Americans want.”
During protests against the harsh actions of the federal authorities ICE and CBP against migrants in Minneapolis, Pretti, 37, was shot and killed by a United States Border Patrol agent on Saturday. The Border Patrol is the police arm of the border protection agency CBP, which in turn reports to the Department of Homeland Security. Pretti worked as an intensive care unit nurse at a veterans hospital. (ap)
Bovino sees Pretti as guilty
The Department of Homeland Security said Pretti approached the officer with a weapon and “violently resisted.” Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol official, blamed the man killed for the escalation. “If someone consciously decides to go into an ongoing police operation, disrupt, obstruct, delay or attack officers – and bring a weapon with them – then that is a decision that person made themselves,” Bovino told reporters during an appearance at a federal building in Minneapolis.
Local authorities and the man’s family contradict the account. In eyewitness videos, Pretti can be seen with a cell phone in his hand; There is no weapon visible in any of the shots. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said police believe he was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry a weapon.
“Which side do you want to be on?” asked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. “On the side of an all-powerful federal government that can kill, injure, threaten and kidnap its citizens in the streets, or on the side of a nurse in a veterans clinic who witnessed (the actions of) such a government and died as a result?” added Democrat Walz.
Trump increased pressure on the Democrats in power in Minnesota on Sunday, calling on them to “formally cooperate” with his administration in cracking down on illegal migration. The US Congress should also ban so-called sanctuary cities. These are US municipalities that restrict or completely refuse to cooperate with the federal government in enforcing migration policy. (ap)
Obama and Clinton condemn actions
US President Trump has blamed the Democrats for the incidents. “Tragically, two US citizens have lost their lives as a result of this chaos caused by the Democrats,” Trump said on his Truth Social online service on Sunday (local time). Meanwhile, former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton sharply criticized Trump’s actions.
Obama and his wife Michelle condemned the fatal police shooting of a 37-year-old in Minneapolis: “The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy,” they wrote in a joint statement. “It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party affiliation, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under attack.”
Federal police and immigration officers have a “tough job,” Obama continued. “But Americans expect them to carry out their duties lawfully and responsibly.” In the state of Minnesota, where Minneapolis is located, the “opposite” can be seen.
For weeks, “masked” officers from ICE and other law enforcement agencies have been operating with “impunity,” using tactics apparently designed to “intimidate, harass, provoke and endanger” citizens, Obama wrote. Trump and members of his administration are apparently trying to “escalate the situation.”
The Democratic Party politician referred in particular to information from the Trump administration regarding the fatal shootings of Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on Saturday in Minneapolis. The information is not based on “serious investigations” and is contradicted by video recordings.
Obama, who ruled the US between 2009 and 2017, called on all US citizens to follow the “peaceful protests in Minneapolis” as an example.
Former US President Clinton, who served in the White House from 1993 to 2000, also called on US citizens to defend themselves. “It is up to all of us who believe in the promise of American democracy to stand up and make our voices heard,” he said. Clinton also accused the US government of “lying to us.” (afp)