Top Republicans are increasingly distancing themselves from President Donald Trump's administration over its handling of a recent shooting in Minneapolis that killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) called on the agents involved in Pretti's death to be immediately put on leave and criticized the demonization of the victim by Trump officials.
The shooting occurred during a protest against ICE's immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Footage shows Pretti approaching federal agents with his phone in one hand and his other hand empty, seconds before he was pepper sprayed and pinned to the ground by several agents who removed his gun before at least 10 shots were heard. Trump officials have sought to portray Pretti as a danger to law enforcement who violently resisted when officers tried to disarm him, contradicting video evidence.
The criticism from top Republicans comes as the GOP faces growing backlash for its anti-immigration tactics and escalating rhetoric on immigration. Florida Senator Ileana Garcia warned that the shooting—and the Trump administration's aggressive anti-immigration efforts—risk losing Latino Republican voters and costing the party in the midterms. New York Representative Mike Lawler condemned the killings, writing "the shootings show what the country has been doing is not working" and calling on Congress to hold hearings with immigration officials.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) stated that he had lost confidence in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and called for an investigation into Pretti's death. Former Vice President Mike Pence described the shooting as "tragic" and "deeply troubling," but also emphasized the need for a full and transparent investigation.
Other Republicans, including Senators John Curtis (R-Utah) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), have also called for an investigation into Pretti's shooting. Some Republican governors have broadly criticized the Trump administration's tactics in enforcing its anti-immigration crackdown. Representative James Comer (R-Ky), a staunch ally of Trump, questioned whether ICE should continue its crackdown in Minnesota.
The controversy highlights a growing divide within the GOP over its stance on immigration and law enforcement. The investigation into Pretti's death is ongoing, with body-worn camera footage from the agents involved in the shooting under review.
The shooting occurred during a protest against ICE's immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Footage shows Pretti approaching federal agents with his phone in one hand and his other hand empty, seconds before he was pepper sprayed and pinned to the ground by several agents who removed his gun before at least 10 shots were heard. Trump officials have sought to portray Pretti as a danger to law enforcement who violently resisted when officers tried to disarm him, contradicting video evidence.
The criticism from top Republicans comes as the GOP faces growing backlash for its anti-immigration tactics and escalating rhetoric on immigration. Florida Senator Ileana Garcia warned that the shooting—and the Trump administration's aggressive anti-immigration efforts—risk losing Latino Republican voters and costing the party in the midterms. New York Representative Mike Lawler condemned the killings, writing "the shootings show what the country has been doing is not working" and calling on Congress to hold hearings with immigration officials.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) stated that he had lost confidence in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and called for an investigation into Pretti's death. Former Vice President Mike Pence described the shooting as "tragic" and "deeply troubling," but also emphasized the need for a full and transparent investigation.
Other Republicans, including Senators John Curtis (R-Utah) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), have also called for an investigation into Pretti's shooting. Some Republican governors have broadly criticized the Trump administration's tactics in enforcing its anti-immigration crackdown. Representative James Comer (R-Ky), a staunch ally of Trump, questioned whether ICE should continue its crackdown in Minnesota.
The controversy highlights a growing divide within the GOP over its stance on immigration and law enforcement. The investigation into Pretti's death is ongoing, with body-worn camera footage from the agents involved in the shooting under review.
another life lost to politics... 37-year-old nurse just trying to do his job & get some info on protest when trump officials are demonizing him already 
gotta be a huge morale killer for those left behind... and what's the point of all these investigations if we're not gonna learn from it? 
meanwhile, latino republicans are getting fed up with the party's anti-immigration stance & it's about time they do something about it 
It's pretty messed up that they're trying to demonize him like that. And now, top Republicans are finally speaking out against it, which is a good thing, I guess 
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It's like, we need some kind of accountability here. And maybe, just maybe, this whole thing could be a wake-up call for both parties to take a closer look at their immigration policies and make some real changes 
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. We gotta keep pushing for truth and transparency, even when it's hard 
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he was an ICU nurse and they're saying he was a threat to law enforcement? it's like, no way 
the video evidence is showing him approaching with his phone out and then BAM! he gets pepper sprayed and pinned down. and now top Republicans are all like "we need to investigate" but some of them are still supporting Trump's crazy immigration policies 
I mean, I know we gotta make our borders secure but come on, this is getting outta hand 
. And can we talk about the fact that ICE agents got to use force against someone who was just trying to take a selfie with his phone? 
it's wild how much controversy is surrounding this whole thing...
I don't get why they're still trying to spin this, like, Pretti was just standing there with his phone and everything. And now we got all these reps talking about investigations and accountability... FINALLY!!! 
. I mean, can you imagine if this were a black man or someone from another country? The GOP is getting roasted for their handling of this situation 
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and now some are saying that these policies aren't working 
The GOP needs to figure out what's going on here and fix it before the midterms 
. First off, why did Trump officials immediately try to spin Alex Pretti as a violent rioter? It doesn't add up. The video evidence shows him approaching with his phone, not even with a gun, and being pepper sprayed without warning. This whole thing reeks of cover-up. And what's really going on here is that the GOP is losing control over their base with all this anti-immigration craziness 
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it's so frustrating when politicians try to demonize ppl like that. rand paul is totally right, those agents should be on leave ASAP. and i'm glad some republicans are speaking out against the trump admin's immigration tactics - we need more ppl with common sense in politics... what if this had happened to someone from their own community? 
they're all talking about investigations and condemnations, but is it too little, too late? 
the GOP's anti-immigration tactics are already making waves among Latino voters, so I'm not sure how effective these half-measures will be in appeasing them. 
on a personal level, it's just sad to see an ICU nurse like Alex Pretti lose his life over something that could've been avoided... 
. And no, I don't care about Trump's side of it, it's all just a bunch of spin 
. I mean, come on, guys, get with the times! We need to be talking about police reform and immigration reform, not demonizing each other 
. It's time for some real accountability here, not just empty words from politicians who don't actually care 
. As an ICU nurse himself, I can imagine how scary that must have been for him 
. The fact that Trump officials are trying to demonize him is just unbelievable 
, it's like they're more concerned with saving face than actually figuring out what went wrong here.
the GOP is really struggling with this one they need to get their act together and stop the hate 
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