One Republican joined Democrats on Thursday in pushing for answers from immigration officials regarding the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents during a protest in Minneapolis.
On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs held a hearing with three top immigration officials in the Trump administration. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., chairs the committee and, along with ranking member Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked tough questions while showing video of Pretti’s death frame by frame.
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“My goal, with this hearing, is not to condemn or to argue to defund ICE,” Paul said. “My goal is to restore public trust.”
Paul and other lawmakers got few definitive answers, however. The immigration officials who appeared before the committee mostly deferred conclusions about Pretti’s death until investigations are completed.
The fatal shooting of Pretti on Jan. 24, 17 days after an immigration officer killed Renee Good, sparked wide debate about the actions of federal agents during Operation Metro Surge, an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota.
Video from bystanders showed that Pretti had not attacked officers, as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said immediately after the shooting. Critics raised further complaints after Noem and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller both called Pretti a domestic terrorist before an investigation had concluded.
What happened during the hearing?
As a video of multiple angles of Pretti’s shooting played behind them, Paul and Peters asked the officials to explain the actions of federal agents. Paul first pointed out that agents in the video shoved a woman to the ground, asking if that was justified. Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said that he couldn’t tell what was said, but in a hypothetical situation, shoving a person to the ground is not appropriate.
Paul said Pretti, who came to the woman’s aid, didn’t appear to be a threat and did not attack agents as federal officials first said. Peters asked Scott whether agents were justified when they beat Pretti in the head with a pepper spray dispenser, as seen on the video.
Scott said he can’t say exactly what happened during that incident but emphasized that the agency doesn’t train agents to do that. He cautioned against jumping to conclusions while the investigation is underway.
“I would ask America to do the same thing,” Scott said. “I am committed to transparency, to making sure all the information we have is made public when it’s appropriate.”
When pressed about releasing body camera footage from the shooting, Scott said he would when it’s appropriate.
In another exchange, Paul asked the officials about when immigration agents are justified in drawing their weapons. The question came after Peters showed videos of agents pulling guns on people, including during a traffic stop.
Scott said Customs and Border Protection officers are allowed to draw weapons whenever they feel threatened. Regarding why it may have happened during a traffic stop, Scott said drivers can use their vehicles as weapons.
Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said that agents, much like local law enforcement, can draw weapons during a traffic stop if a felony is involved.
However, Paul said federal immigration agents did not seem to be following policies similar to those governing the behavior of local police officers.
“I would suggest that you need to look at these and you need to look at the policy, because I don’t think they’re living up to the same standard of the police, you know,” Paul said.
“I think the police, frankly, are better trained, which is the other complaint that people have had, have we rushed some of the people into the job, you know?” Paul added.
How did other Republicans react during the hearing?
Other Republicans on the committee, including Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Bernie Moreno of Ohio, focused on the interaction between Minnesota state officials and federal immigration agencies rather than the Pretti shooting.
When asked if Minnesota officials helped ICE, Lyons said they did not cooperate with his agency. He cited a case of an Ecuadorian national who raped a 14-year-old girl in Connecticut and fled to Minnesota. Neither Connecticut nor Minnesota assisted ICE in arresting the man, Lyons said.
Although videos clearly show agents disarmed Pretti before shooting him, Moreno said the media, Democrats and the public should stop making assumptions about what the video shows until the investigation is over.
Moreno added that the agents involved in the shooting deserve their right to due process. Ironically, Democrats are also stressing this but instead pointing the finger at Noem and Miller, who called Pretti a domestic terrorist before an investigation into his death was even announced.
The FBI is handling the investigation into Pretti’s killing, but it has not said when its findings might be released. Customs and Border Protection has said it would conduct its own internal inquiry after the FBI’s investigation is finished.
