Saint Paul, Jan 26 (.) A second fatal shooting of a Minnesota resident by federal ICE officers has triggered rare public dissent among senior GOP lawmakers, exposing the widening cracks within the party over President Donald Trump’s increasingly hardline immigration enforcement, and the more moderate side of the party.
While the White House has closed ranks around Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a string of prominent Republicans are now calling for transparent investigations into the shootings, warning that the administration’s aggressive posture risks further loss of life and political backlash.
The strongest division over Trump’s handling of migrants, came from House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, who suggested federal agents should reconsider operating in Minneapolis if local leaders are unable or unwilling to de-escalate tensions.
“If I were President Trump, I would almost think about… maybe go to another city,” Comer said on Fox News, arguing that continuing operations in Minnesota could put officers and civilians alike in danger. He still laid blame at the feet of Democratic state leaders, predicting Minnesotans would eventually “rebel against their leadership”.
More pointedly, Senator Susan Collins of Maine said the killing “needs to be thoroughly and transparently investigated to determine whether or not excessive force was used in a situation that may have been able to be diffused without violence”.
Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska echoed the call, describing the incident as “horrifying,” though stressed that his broader support for ICE funding still remained unchanged.
The shooting has prompted congressional scrutiny. House Homeland Security Committee chair Andrew Garbarino has requested testimony from senior officials at ICE, Customs and Border Protection and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, while Republican lawmakers such as Michael Baumgartner of Washington state have said they were disturbed by video footage from the scene and stressed the need for accountability.
The pressure comes as the administration moves swiftly to shape the narrative. After the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and US citizen, the Department of Homeland Security alleged he had approached officers with a firearm and intended to “massacre law enforcement”.
Senior officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, went further, branding Pretti a “domestic terrorist” before any independent investigation had concluded.
Local officials, however, say Pretti lawfully possessed his weapon, as obtained video footage appears to show him filming officers before being sprayed with chemical agents and forced to the ground, followed by the sound of gunfire.
Noem has yet to produce evidence to support claims of terrorism, leading many to accuse her of applying the term arbitrarily.
That concern has resonated beyond Capitol Hill. Several conservative commentators and gun-rights advocates — typically reliable allies of the administration — have questioned the government’s handling of the case, warning that redefining lawful gun ownership or filming police as “terrorism” risks alienating core Republican constituencies.
Even some long-time Trump sceptics within the party, including Senators Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis, have urged restraint, calling on federal agents to coordinate closely with local authorities and avoid rushing to judgment. “The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake,” said Senator Bill Cassidy.
Democrats on the other end, have already called for Noem’s impeachment, but the more immediate political danger for the White House lies closer to home.
As another Minnesota death compounds an already volatile situation, the administration’s approach is increasingly testing the loyalty of its own party — and revealing that, on immigration, unity is no longer guaranteed.
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