By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) – Top U.S. immigration officials are testifying before a congressional committee on Tuesday in the first such hearing since two U.S. citizens were killed in Minnesota and amid mounting opposition to President Donald Trump’s crackdown.
The officials – the highest-ranking at three agencies overseeing immigration enforcement and legal immigration – are expected to face scrutiny from Democrats on the committee after the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Trump, a Republican, escalated his aggressive immigration enforcement push in Minneapolis in January, leading to clashes between masked immigration officers and residents opposed to broad immigration sweeps that have picked up many people with no criminal record, including families and children.
Top Trump officials swiftly portrayed both Good and Pretti as “domestic terrorists” and aggressors after they were killed by federal immigration officers but video evidence contradicted those statements.
U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, a Republican, called for a full investigation into the U.S. citizens killed in Minnesota in opening remarks, a departure from Trump officials who quickly said Good and Pretti were aggressors and “domestic terrorists” rather than push for a review.
“There must be a complete and impartial investigation,” said Garbarino, who represents a district on Long Island in New York. “I expect each of our witnesses to keep this committee fully informed as the investigations run their course… While these investigations are ongoing, officials and elected leaders cannot rush to judgment.”
The top Democrat on the committee, Bennie Thompson, sharply criticized the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement in U.S. cities and reiterated a call for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign.
Testifying on Tuesday were Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Joe Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The three Trump officials in opening remarks defended the Republican president’s immigration agenda, highlighting threats to ICE officers, increased border security under Trump, and more intense vetting of legal immigrants.
ICE’s Lyons said his officers would continue implementing Trump’s mass deportation push even as officers faced the risk of assault amid public opposition.
“Despite these perils, our officers continue to execute their mission with unwavering resolve. And we are only getting started,” he said. “ICE remains committed to the fundamental principle that those who illegally enter our country must be held accountable.”
A spending package passed by the Republican-controlled Congress in 2025 devoted a historic $170 billion to immigration enforcement agencies through September 2029, a huge surge of funding over ICE and Border Patrol’s existing annual budgets of about $19 billion.
Democrats in the U.S. Congress say ICE must be reformed and have demanded they remove masks, wear body cameras and prioritize enforcement to focus on criminal offenders.
As public pressure mounted after the deaths, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan took over operations in Minnesota, supplanting Border Patrol’s roving commander Gregory Bovino and saying agents would adopt a more targeted approach.
Despite internal ICE guidance calling for officers to stop engaging with protesters, the encounters have continued, including U.S. citizens arrested and charged after following officers in their cars.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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