DHS watchdog investigating use of force by ICE
The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is investigating use of force by ICE agents, according to a letter sent to the watchdog by congressional Democrats.
The probe comes as the Trump administration faces intense scrutiny over its nationwide immigration crackdown, which has at times turned violent in recent weeks, sparking concern from a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
The letter, sent Monday to DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, cites the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis last month. The letter says the inspector general launched a review on Jan. 8 of the tactics undertaken by ICE and Customs and Border Protection, urging the watchdog to speed up the timeline of the probe.
“Given the urgency of this situation — with communities facing severe, and sometimes fatal, harm from ICE’s tactics on American streets every day — we request that your office conduct this review expeditiously and share any preliminary findings with Congress and the public on an expedited basis,” the Democrats wrote, according to a copy of the letter reviewed by POLITICO.
Democratic Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey — who led the letter along with Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Lou Correa (D-Calif.) — first requested the probe in June.
Thirty-six of their colleagues across the House and Senate signed on to the letter, which was first reported by The New York Times.
The inspector general’s office is conducting an “audit of ICE’s Processes for Investigating and Addressing Allegations of Excessive Use of Force,” per the office’s list of ongoing projects.
The probe seeks to “determine whether ICE investigates allegations of excessive use of force and holds personnel accountable in accordance with applicable Federal laws, DHS policies, and ICE directives.”
Spokespeople for the inspector general’s office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the probe.
The lawmakers asked the watchdog to prioritize its review in light of the fact that the office routinely misses its own goal of completing audits within 397 days, according to a January report from the Government Accountability Office.
The Trump administration has signaled a willingness to soften its approach to immigration enforcement in recent weeks, with Democrats threatening to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and withhold funding for the department over its aggressive tactics.
In a move seen widely as an attempt to tamp down tensions in Minnesota, the White House pulled Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino from the state and dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis last week.
Following meetings between Homan and Democratic leaders in the state, Noem announced on Monday that ICE and CBP officers in the city will begin wearing body cameras during immigration enforcement operations there — a key demand from congressional Democrats in their push for reforms of the agencies.
And White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller — a central figure in the administration's immigration enforcement campaign — conceded that CBP agents may not have been following protocol during the fatal shooting of Pretti, which is under review by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and DHS.
Still, President Donald Trump has aimed to downplay the shift in strategy, rebuffing suggestions that his administration is retreating from its aggressive deportation operation last week and continuing to disparage Pretti.
