Democrats plan to widen probes of fatal ICE shootings

New congressional majority can issue subpoenas to Trump immigration officials

By LineZotpaper

Published7 November 2026

Read Time5 min

With a new majority in Congress, Democratic leaders say they will investigate ICE, and the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good and at least seven other people killed by federal immigration agents since President Trump returned to office are likely to be targets of renewed investigations. Congress can issue subpoenas and compel testimony from major players in Trump's mass deportation plan.

The morning after Tuesday's midterm elections, as community members placed "I Voted" stickers at memorials for those killed by immigration agents, Democratic leaders outlined their plan to use their new congressional majority to force the Trump administration to answer for the shootings.

The deaths of Pretti, a VA nurse, and Good, a mother of three, during an ICE surge in Minneapolis marked a pivotal moment for the country, intensifying public backlash to President Trump's aggressive deportation efforts. But federal law enforcement officials have given little indication they are progressing in investigating those deaths, or the killings of at least seven others by federal immigration agents since Trump took office again last year. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to NPR's request for the status of those investigations.

With a majority in Congress, Democrats can issue subpoenas to the major players in Trump's mass deportation plan, compelling them to testify under oath. That could include White House Border Czar Tom Homan, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, and White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, among others. Congress can also demand internal documents like use-of-force reports.

"They can dissect these individual shootings, and really unravel the story of what happened," said Naureen Shah, who leads the ACLU's immigration policy work. Democrats have already held shadow hearings on the ICE shootings, during which they called in family members and witnesses to testify. Now, Shah said, Congress can ask key questions: What orders were given to officers? What was their training? Who made the decision to paint Good and Pretti as threats, including calling Pretti a "would-be assassin" and a domestic terrorist, when video showed otherwise? "It's like we can turn the faucet on and actually find out so much more," she said.

Democratic leaders have already said that is the plan. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, expected to lead the House Judiciary Committee, told NPR in a statement that Congress will use "every tool" at its disposal and that it is time for ICE to "start answering to the American people." Rep. Robert Garcia of California, expected to lead the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, vowed to take on DHS and ICE abuses with a two-word statement: "Lawyer Up." Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, expected to lead the House Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter on Wednesday to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, demanding that the agency comply with all document preservation requirements. Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois wrote on social media that Noem, Miller, Homan, Bovino and Mullin should "clear" their schedules.

In response, DHS general counsel James Percival said Democrats are "more interested in political shenanigans than in governing" but said the agency is prepared to "deal with this nonsense." A White House spokesperson told NPR that "if Democrats choose to pursue sham investigations and radical left policies, they are choosing to work against the American people," adding that Democrats "should be reminded that we still control the federal government and all of its powers."

But there are key limitations to what the Democratic majority can do on ICE accountability, said Rachel Moran, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Major changes, like clawing back funding for the agency, would require a veto-proof majority, which the Democrats do not have. "You still have a president who has shown a complete lack of interest in accountability for federal agents and in fact, a great deal of knee jerk defensiveness about their conduct," Moran said. Still, she said a deeper probe could serve important purposes, like making evidence available for states to use in their own criminal investigations. Minnesota officials have been fighting with the federal government to get evidence related to the Pretti and Good killings.

Brent Ganger, brother of Renee Good, said learning more about his sister's death will be hard to hear, "but I think it's also super important for us to understand what happened that day. I don't want history to keep repeating itself." On election night, he was scrolling Instagram when he saw a photo of his sister's memorial site covered in "I Voted" stickers. "I was very grateful to see the repudiation of this administration from the country. It felt very supportive of my entire family," he said. Nicki Adams, Pretti's close friend, said the stickers and the election results send a message to Congress: "You work for us, and please carry on these values that we care about."

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Analysis

Why This Matters

The investigations could hold immigration agents accountable for shootings that sparked public outrage and force disclosure of internal policies.
They represent a significant shift in congressional power after the midterms, with subpoena authority now in Democratic hands.
Evidence uncovered could support state criminal prosecutions, as Minnesota officials have sought.

Background

The deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good during an ICE surge in Minneapolis marked a turning point, intensifying public backlash to Trump's deportation efforts. At least nine people have been killed by immigration agents since Trump returned to office. Federal officials have given little indication of progress in investigating the deaths. Democrats held shadow hearings before winning the majority.

Key Perspectives

Democratic leaders: Plan to issue subpoenas and compel testimony on the ICE shootings, calling on officials to answer for the deaths.
DHS general counsel James Percival: Called the plans "political shenanigans" and said the agency will "deal with this nonsense."
White House: Warned that if Democrats pursue sham investigations, they are choosing to work against the American people, and reminded them the administration still controls the federal government.
Rachel Moran, law professor: Noted that without a veto-proof majority, major changes like defunding ICE would be impossible, but deeper probes could still aid state investigations.
Brent Ganger, brother of victim Renee Good: Welcomed the investigations as a chance to understand what happened and said the election results felt supportive of his family.

What to Watch

Subpoena battles as the administration resists Democratic demands for testimony and documents.
Whether Congress obtains internal use-of-force reports and training records for ICE and Border Patrol agents.
The potential for state criminal charges based on evidence uncovered by the investigations.

Sources

Democrats plan to widen their probes of fatal ICE shootings · OPB

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedThe deaths of Pretti and Good and at least seven other people killed by federal immigration agents are likely to be targets of renewed investigations.OPB: “Now, after Democrats’ sweeping wins this week, their deaths at the hands of immigration agents will likely be the targets of renewed investigations.”
Partly supportedThe morning after the midterms, community members placed “I Voted” stickers at multiple memorials.OPB: “The morning after Tuesday’s midterms was gloomy and rainy in Minneapolis, but people still gathered at the place where Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a VA nurse and U.S. citizen, last January. All week, community members have come here to place their “I Voted” stickers at the memorial.”
SupportedDemocrats plan to widen probes of fatal ICE shootings.OPB: “Democrats plan to widen their probes of fatal ICE shootings.”
SupportedA new congressional majority can issue subpoenas to Trump immigration officials.OPB: “With a majority in Congress, Democrats can issue subpoenas to the major players in Trump’s mass deportation plan, compelling them to testify under oath before the legislature.”
SupportedNaureen Shah said Congress can “dissect these individual shootings, and really unravel the story of what happened.”OPB: ““They can dissect these individual shootings, and really unravel the story of what happened,” says Naureen Shah, who leads the ACLU’s immigration policy work.”
SupportedShah said Congress can “turn the faucet on and actually find out so much more.”OPB: ““It’s like we can turn the faucet on and actually find out so much more,” Shah says.”
SupportedThe story quotes the description “would-be assassin” in discussing how Pretti was portrayed as a threat.OPB: “Who made the decision to paint Good and Pretti as threats, including calling Pretti a “would-be assassin” and a domestic terrorist , when video showed otherwise?”
SupportedDHS did not respond to NPR’s request for the status of the investigations.OPB: “DHS did not respond to an NPR request for the status of those investigations.”
SupportedFederal law enforcement officials have given little indication that they are progressing in investigating Pretti’s and Good’s deaths and at least seven other deaths.OPB: “But federal law enforcement officials have given little indication they’re progressing in investigating their deaths, or the deaths of at least seven other people killed by federal immigration agents since Trump took office again last year.”
SupportedJamie Raskin said Congress will use “every tool” at its disposal and that ICE should “start answering to the American people.”OPB: “Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, who is expected to lead the House Judiciary Committee, told NPR in a statement that Congress will use “every tool” at its disposal to investigate ICE and that it is time for the agency to “start answering to the American people.””
SupportedBrent Ganger said learning more about his sister’s death would be hard to hear, but important for understanding what happened.OPB: “Brent Ganger, Renee Good’s brother, says learning more information about his sister’s death will be hard to hear, “but I think it’s also super important for us to understand what happened that day. I don’t want history to keep repeating itself.””
SupportedNicki Adams said the stickers and election results sent Congress the message, “You work for us, and please carry on these values that we care about.”OPB: “Adams says these stickers, and the election results this week, send a clear message to Congress: “You work for us, and please carry on these values that we care about … We want to be seen and heard and taken care of and have our neighbors taken care of.””