House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer Comments On ICE Following Recent Shooting In Minneapolis
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…
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.
“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.”