Ice Chief Refuses To Apologize For Minneapolis Shooting Victims Being Labeled Terrorists

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) pressed ICE chief Todd Lyons on Tuesday to apologize to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis last month, but instead received a blunt refusal from the Trump official during a Department of Homeland Security oversight hearing.

“Will you apologize to Renee Good for being called a domestic terrorist by the president and his leadership?” Swalwell asked Lyons, who was testifying alongside other top DHS officials before the House Homeland Security Committee.

“No, sir,” Lyons replied.

“Is she a domestic terrorist?” Swalwell asked.

Lyons declined to answer, saying he would not comment on a pending investigation, but acknowledged public remarks from President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem labeling victims as domestic terrorists. When Swalwell asked whether he agreed with those statements, Lyon again declined to respond.

“I welcome the opportunity to speak to the family in private, but I’m not going to comment on any active investigation,” he said, also declining to apologize to the family of Pretti.

The fatal shootings of Good and Pretti — which occurred during separate immigration operations in Minneapolis — fueled nationwide protests on the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and prompted the high-profile oversight hearing Tuesday.

Democratic lawmakers used the hearing to press the administration over transparency and accountability during its immigration enforcement, at the same time that they are trying to get Republicans to agree to more training and accountability for ICE officers — and holding up funding to do so. Lyons statements suggest that administration officials, at least, are looking to stand firm.

Also testifying at the hearing were U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott and Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The DHS funding negotiations remain underway. The White House sent a counterproposal Monday evening, but it was swiftly rejected by Democrats for not meeting key demands. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday called the GOP proposal “woefully inadequate,” risking the possibility of a shutdown to parts of the government ahead of a Friday deadline.