Republican calls are growing for a deeper investigation into the fatal
Minneapolis shooting
[January 26, 2026]
By STEVEN SLOAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — A growing number of Republicans are pressing for a
deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after
a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man in Minneapolis, a sign
that the Trump administration's accounting of events may face bipartisan
scrutiny.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino sought
testimony from leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs
and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services,
saying “my top priority remains keeping Americans safe.”
A host of other congressional Republicans, including Rep. Michael McCaul
of Texas and Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of
Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, pressed
for more information. Their statements, in addition to concern expressed
from several Republican governors, reflected a party struggling with how
to respond to Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old
intensive care nurse at a VA hospital.
Trump administration officials were quick to cast Pretti as the
instigator. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was among those who
said Pretti “approached” immigration officers with a gun and acted
violently. Videos from the scene show Pretti being pushed by an officer
and then a half-dozen agents descend on him. During the scuffle, he is
holding a phone but is never seen brandishing the 9mm semiautomatic
handgun police say he was licensed to carry.
The killing has raised uncomfortable questions about the GOP's core
positions on issues ranging from gun ownership to states' rights and
trust in the federal government.
Cassidy, who is facing a Trump-backed challenger in his reelection bid,
said on social media that the shooting was “incredibly disturbing” and
that the “credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake.” He pushed for “a
full joint federal and state investigation.” Tillis, who is not seeking
reelection, urged a “thorough and impartial investigation” and said “any
administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an
investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the
nation and to President Trump’s legacy.”
Murkowski called for an investigation and added that “ICE agents do not
have carte blanche in carrying out their duties.” Collins, the only
incumbent Republican senator facing reelection in a state Democrat
Kamala Harris carried in 2024, said a probe is needed “to determine
whether or not excessive force was used in a situation that may have
been able to be diffused without violence.”
While calling for protesters to “keep space” from law enforcement and
not interfere, Collins said federal law enforcement must "recognize both
the public’s right to protest and the highly charged situation they now
face.”
Even Sen. Pete Ricketts, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump,
called for a “prioritized, transparent investigation.”
“My support for funding ICE remains the same,” the Nebraska Republican,
who is up for reelection, said online. “But we must also maintain our
core values as a nation, including the right to protest and assemble.”
Trump and other administration officials remained firm in their defense
of the hard-line immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis, blaming
Democrats in the state along with local law enforcement for not working
with them. Many Republicans either echoed that sentiment or stayed
silent.
In a lengthy social media post on Sunday evening, Trump called on
Minnesota's Democratic leadership to “formally cooperate” with his
administration and pressed Congress to ban so-called sanctuary cities.
The White House will likely face at least some GOP pushback
Trump has enjoyed nearly complete loyalty from fellow Republicans during
his first year back in the White House. But the positions staked out in
the wake of the shooting signal the administration will face at least
some pushback within the party in its swift effort to define Pretti, who
protested Trump’s immigration crackdown, as a violent demonstrator.
Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller issued social media
posts referencing an “assassin” and “domestic terrorist" while Noem said
Pretti showed up to “impede a law enforcement operation.”
At a minimum, some Republicans are calling for a de-escalation in
Minneapolis.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the
shooting was a “real tragedy” and Trump needs to define an “end game.”
“Nobody likes the feds coming to their states,” Stitt said. “And so what
is the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-U.S. citizen? I
don’t think that’s what Americans want.”
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Senator Thom Tillis speaks during a panel session at the 56th annual
meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland,
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said the shooting was “not acceptable.”
“At best, these federal immigration operations are a complete
failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law
enforcement practices, training and leadership,” he said in a post.
“At worst, it's deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of
American citizens.”
Echoing criticism that local law enforcement isn’t cooperating with
federal officials, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., suggested the
administration focus its immigration efforts elsewhere.
“If I were President Trump, I would almost think about 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 or whatever, then
maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide do
we want to continue to have all these illegals?” he told “Sunday
Morning Futures” on the Fox News Channel. “I think the people of
Minnesota would rebel against their leadership.”
A sensitive moment for the GOP
Pretti's killing comes at a sensitive moment for the GOP as the
party prepares for a challenging midterm election year. Trump has
fomented a sense of chaos on the world stage, bringing the NATO
alliance to the brink last week. Domestically, Trump has struggled
to respond to widespread affordability concerns.
Meanwhile, approval of his handling of immigration — long a
political asset for the president and the GOP — has tumbled. Just
38% of U.S. adults approved of how Trump was handling immigration in
January, down from 49% in March, according to an AP-NORC poll.
The killing spurred notable tension with the GOP's long-standing
support for gun rights. Officials say Pretti was armed, but no
bystander videos that have surfaced so far appear to show him
holding a weapon. The Minneapolis police chief said Pretti had a
permit to carry a gun.
Yet administration officials, including Noem and Treasury Secretary
Scott Bessent, have questioned why he was armed. Speaking on ABC's
“This Week" Bessent said that when he has attended protests, “I
didn't bring a gun. I brought a billboard.”
Such comments were notable for a party where support for the Second
Amendment's protection of gun ownership is foundational. Indeed,
many in the GOP, including Trump, lifted Kyle Rittenhouse into
prominence when the then-17-year-old former police youth cadet shot
three men, killing two of them, during a 2020 protest in Wisconsin
against police brutality. He was acquitted of all charges after
testifying that he acted in self defense.
In the wake of Pretti's killing, gun rights advocates noted that it
is legal to carry firearms during protests.
“Every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms —
including while attending protests, acting as observers, or
exercising their First Amendment rights,” the Minnesota Gun Owners
Caucus said in a statement. “These rights do not disappear when
someone is lawfully armed.”
In a social media post, the National Rifle Association said
“responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation,
not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is often critical of the White House,
said “carrying a firearm is not a death sentence.”
“It's a Constitutionally protected God-given right,” he said, "and
if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement
or government.
The second-ranking Justice Department official said he was aware of
reports that Pretti was lawfully armed.
“There’s nothing wrong with anybody lawfully carrying firearms,”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on “Meet the Press” on
NBC. “But just make no mistake about it, this was an incredibly
split-second decision that had to be made by ICE officers.”
___
Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report
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