In the wake of the Minneapolis shooting, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is calling on the Trump administration to reassess the role of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), expressing concerns over the agency’s diminishing reputation.
The Republican governor emphasized the need for ICE to return to its core mission: deporting individuals residing illegally in the United States. “It’s crucial to restore respect for law enforcement officers, including those within ICE,” Abbott remarked during an appearance on radio host Mark Davis’ show on Monday.
Abbott urged the White House to take steps to restore public respect for the agency, acknowledging the challenges of doing so amidst current tensions. “Rebuilding that respect is not going to be easy, especially given the present circumstances,” Abbott stated.
His comments come as Republican lawmakers increasingly voice their concerns over the escalating crisis in Minnesota. This follows the tragic incident where 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti was fatally shot by agents during anti-ICE protests on Saturday.
Governor Abbott proposed that the Trump administration devise a strategic plan for ICE to efficiently carry out deportations without inciting community unrest and conflict, which have become prevalent issues in the current climate.
The governor suggested that the Trump administration should create a ‘game plan’ so that ICE can deport illegals ‘without causing all the kinds of problems and fighting in communities that they are experiencing right now.’
Trump sidelined Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday and ordered her longtime rival and ICE veteran Tom Homan to take charge of the deteriorating operation in Minnesota.
The President privately expressed concerns about Noem’s public messaging in the aftermath of Pretti’s shooting, according to reports, after she branded him a ‘domestic terrorist.’
Texas Governor Greg Abbott arrives during a press conference for Eli Lilly and Company in Houston, Texas, U.S., September 23
Pretti, an ICU nurse, was shot and killed while being detained by ICE agents on Saturday
Law enforcement officers kneeling next to the body of Pretti, who was fatally shot when federal agents tried to detain him in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday
Riots erupted on Sunday night outside a Hilton hotel in Minneapolis, where ICE agents are believed to be staying. Protesters bashed windows and spray-painted the hotel’s facade, while others chanted and paced in front of the building.
Republicans, including Trump’s staunchest allies, have called for a full investigation into Pretti’s shooting and even urged him to pull ICE out of Minnesota.
Senator Pete Ricketts, a close ally of the President, 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.’
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt told CNN 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-US citizen? I don´t think that´s what Americans want.’
Echoing criticism that local law enforcement isn’t cooperating with federal officials, Republican Representative James Comer, of Kentucky, 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 Fox News. ‘I think the people of Minnesota would rebel against their leadership.’
Federal agents use tear gas on protesters after a demonstration outside a Minneapolis hotel believed to house ICE officers on Sunday
Graffiti and a shattered glass window are seen while protesters participate in the ‘ICE OUT! Noise Demo’ at the hotel
Vermont’s Republican Governor Phil Scott, who has frequently opposed Trump’s immigration crackdown, likened Pretti’s shooting to murder.
‘At best, these federal immigration operations are a complete failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices, training, and leadership,’ the Republican wrote on X.
‘At worst, it’s a deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens that’s resulting in the murder of Americans. Again, enough is enough.’
Trump administration officials were quick to cast Pretti as the instigator.
Noem said Pretti ‘approached’ immigration officers with a gun and acted violently.
Videos from the scene show the 37-year-old being pushed by an officer before 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.
Trump and other administration officials remained firm in their defense of the hardline 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.
Kristi Noem is facing Trump’s wrath as he orders her longtime rival, border czar Tom Homan, to clean up the chaos caused by her immigration crackdown in Minneapolis
A federal agent points a weapon at a person outside a hotel during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday
Vermont Governor Phil Scott joined a growing number of GOP lawmakers outraged by the shooting of Alex Pretti
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.
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.’
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.
Approval of his handling of immigration – long a political asset for the president and the GOP – has tumbled. Just 38 percent of US adults approved of how Trump was handling immigration in January, down from 49 percent in March, an AP-NORC poll found.
