The fatal shooting of anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti has triggered a political firestorm inside the GOP—and the pressure is mounting fast.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) became the first major Republican to publicly call on President Donald Trump to consider pulling ICE agents out of Minneapolis after the 37-year-old ICU nurse was killed by a federal agent during a protest over the weekend.
“If the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way and there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives, then maybe go to another city,” Comer told Fox News on Sunday. “Let the people of Minneapolis decide—do we want to continue to have all of these illegals?”
His comments come as federal immigration agents face growing scrutiny—and Republican ranks begin to show signs of internal fracture.
While Trump told the Wall Street Journal that his administration is “reviewing everything” related to the shooting, he made no immediate commitment to change course. “I don’t like any shooting,” Trump said. “But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest, and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines.”
The president also said ICE would eventually leave the Twin Cities, but that “a different group” of federal agents would remain to carry out a major welfare fraud investigation focused on the region’s Somali community.
The backlash is spreading.
Senators Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) both issued statements demanding a full investigation into Pretti’s death, warning that the credibility of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security hangs in the balance.
Trump admin ‘reviewing everything’ about fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, says ICE agents will leave Minneapolis ‘at some point’ https://t.co/8uViAnvzzg pic.twitter.com/3noIJr9XjZ
— New York Post (@nypost) January 26, 2026
Should President Trump consider pulling ICE agents out of Minneapolis after the recent shooting?
“The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing,” Cassidy said. “We can trust the American people with the truth.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) took it a step further, warning that ICE agents “do not have carte blanche,” and that “lawfully carrying a firearm does not justify federal agents killing an American.”
Republican Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont torched the federal response in a blistering statement, calling the operation “a complete failure” and accusing the administration of inciting violence. “Enough is enough,” he said. “At worst, it’s a deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens that’s resulting in the murder of Americans.”
Outside the Beltway, tensions continue to rise.
The protest movement that began as opposition to ICE operations has now become a broader outcry over federal force, with questions swirling around how and why Pretti—armed or not—was fatally shot. Video footage has emerged showing a confrontation with agents, but key moments remain under investigation.
Meanwhile, Trump allies are trying to walk a fine line—supporting law enforcement while calling for clarity.
Sen. Ricketts summed up the balancing act: “My support for funding ICE remains the same… But we must also maintain our core values as a nation, including the right to protest.”
With federal agents on the ground, Minneapolis on edge, and the Republican Party increasingly divided over strategy, the next move lies with Trump. But the pressure is only building.
