Shaheen Statement on Minnesota Shooting and Appropriations

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement:

“The killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis was horrific and has rightly drawn deep concern from both sides of the aisle. This incident is tragically symptomatic of the Department of Homeland Security’s frequently lawless and chaotic approach to immigration enforcement. DHS should work hand-in-hand with local law enforcement and focus their efforts on criminals who pose a threat to our communities, but their approach has instead disproportionately targeted undocumented immigrants with no criminal record. In many cases these are neighbors deeply woven into the fabric of their communities. In some cases, immigration enforcement sweeps have even resulted in U.S. citizens and small children being detained or harassed. That is not acceptable. I, like the overwhelming majority of Americans, believe we need a secure border and that undocumented immigrants who pose a threat to others have no place in our country. But we also need an immigration system that is humane and abides by the rule-of-law.

“Reform is urgently needed at the Department of Homeland Security, and their dishonest response to the death of a U.S. citizen only underscores that. There is broad bipartisan consensus on 96% of government funding. The Senate should separate the five appropriations bills from DHS funding and pass them immediately to avoid a shutdown. The Senate then needs to have a real bipartisan discussion about what additional reforms we need to put in place to prevent tragedies like Minneapolis from happening across the country. I will vote against DHS’s funding until additional reforms are in place. Speaker Johnson needs to show leadership and bring the House back immediately to join us in this effort. There must also be an independent investigation, in partnership with Minnesota law enforcement, to hold accountable anyone responsible for violating the law.”

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