Rep. Panetta Joins Congressional Veterans to Demand ICE and CBP Interior Operations Stand Down

Washington, DC - 15 Democratic Members of Congress who served in the U.S. Armed Forces called for a stand down of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) interior operations. This announcement follows the second killing by federal ICE and CPB agents of an American citizen in Minnesota.

Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-36), Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Rep. Gil Cisneros (CA-31), Rep. Herb Conaway (NJ-03), Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06), Rep. Chris DeLuzio (PA-17), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06), Rep. Pat Ryan (NY-18), Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04), Rep. Derek Tran (CA-45) and Rep. Eugene Vindman (VA-07) issued the following statement:

"As veterans, we are outraged and horrified by the killing of a second civilian in Minneapolis by federal agents in less than three weeks. Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old American citizen Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at a VA hospital. Video footage and eyewitness accounts of this incident are deeply disturbing and raise serious questions about the use of force.

"This tragic killing comes on the heels of the fatal shooting of Renée Good earlier this month, and multiple other documented incidents of civil-rights abuses and excessive enforcement by ICE and CBP in Minnesota - demonstrating a pattern of misconduct that has fractured trust and terrified communities.

"In the military, when preventable deaths occur, leaders stand down operations to review/change policies, reassess missions, retrain personnel, and implement stronger safety protocols. The Department of Homeland Security must do no less. Our communities are less safe, and tensions have reached a boiling point.

"For these reasons, we call for an immediate stand down of ICE and CBP interior enforcement operations and demand the resignation of the Secretary of Homeland Security. Current leadership has failed to protect civil liberties, ensure accountability, or maintain the public trust.

"We also demand full, transparent, independent investigations into these deaths and abuses, and decisive steps to prevent further civilian killings at the hands of federal agents."

###