DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capital Bureau) — Parts of the federal government again headed toward shutdown amid disagreements about funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security following another fatal shooting of a protester by federal law enforcement.
Some members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, have called on President Donald Trump to remove Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and adviser Stephen Miller for their comments that quickly followed the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during a demonstration in Minneapolis last Saturday against ICE’s aggressive tactics in carrying out Trump’s immigration policies.
ICE agents fired their guns during a confrontation with Pretti. Bullets struck Pretti multiple times and killed him.
Pretti was carrying a weapon for which he had a legal permit to carry, according to authorities. The gun was not visible and may have been tucked into his waistband or pocket. He was carrying a cell phone in one of his hands.
In the hours following Pretti’s death, Noem called him a “domestic terrorist.” Miller referred to Pretti as a would be “assassin” who “tried to murder federal agents.”
The Trump administration provided no proof of that and has since backed away from those allegations but offered no apologies for any false characterizations.
Neither U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, or U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion who is running for the U.S. Senate, echoed the calls for Trump to dismiss Noem and Miller.
Both said that there should be a full investigation into the Pretti’s death.
Some members of Congress are refusing, so far, to agree to a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, because of Pretti’s death and physically aggressive actions by ICE in numerous instances as the Trump administration has focused on rounding up undocumented immigrants across the country.
They are demanding reforms as part of any funding bill.
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