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 Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a VA hospital. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino sought testimony from immigration agencies, while Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also pressed for more information. The calls for scrutiny suggest the Trump administration’s accounting of the incident may face bipartisan review.
The incident has raised uncomfortable questions about core Republican positions on gun ownership, states’ rights and federal authority, forcing the party to navigate between support for Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement and concerns about federal agents’ conduct.
Videos from the scene show Pretti being pushed by an officer, then a half-dozen agents descending 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 Administration’s Account
Trump administration officials cast Pretti as the instigator. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti “approached” immigration officers with a gun and acted violently. Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller issued social media posts referring to an “assassin” and “domestic terrorist.”
Republican Pushback
But Republican officials questioned this narrative. Sen. Bill Cassidy 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.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, who is not seeking reelection, urged a “thorough and impartial investigation.” He said that “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.”
Sen. Susan 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.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski called for an investigation and added that “ICE agents do not have carte blanche in carrying out their duties.”
Even Sen. Pete Ricketts, a staunch Trump ally, called for a “prioritized, transparent investigation.” He said, “My support for funding ICE remains the same, but we must also maintain our core values as a nation, including the right to protest and assemble.”
The Gun Rights Fracture
The incident created a fissure within the GOP’s foundational commitment to gun rights. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent questioned why Pretti was armed, saying that when he attends protests, “I didn’t bring a gun. I brought a billboard.”
Such comments stood out for a party where the Second Amendment is foundational. Gun rights advocates pushed back. The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said in a statement that “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 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., said “carrying a firearm is not a death sentence. It’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right, and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on “Meet the Press” that “there’s nothing wrong with anybody lawfully carrying firearms,” though he called the shooting “an incredibly split-second decision that had to be made by ICE officers.”
Trump’s Defense and Declining Support
Trump defended the immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis, blaming Democrats in the state and local law enforcement for not cooperating. In a social media post Sunday evening, Trump called on Minnesota’s Democratic leadership to “formally cooperate” with his administration and pressed Congress to ban so-called sanctuary cities.
His support for his immigration handling, however, has eroded. 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.
Calls for De-escalation
The incident comes at a delicate moment for the GOP as it prepares for a challenging midterm election year. Some Republican governors have also weighed in. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt told CNN that the shooting was a “real tragedy” and Trump needs to define an “end game” for immigration enforcement operations.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said the shooting was “not acceptable,” calling the federal immigration operations “at best, a complete failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices,” and “at worst, it’s deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens.”