Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) said Monday that he “failed” his constituents by voting to fund federal immigration operations as part of a spending package that passed the House last week.
“I failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in
Minneapolis,” Suozzi said in a statement two days after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minnesota’s largest city.
“I hear the anger from my constituents, and I take responsibility for that. I have long been critical of ICE’s unlawful behavior and I must do a better job demonstrating that.”
“The senseless and tragic murder of Alex Pretti underscores what happens when untrained federal agents
operate without accountability,” added Suozzi, calling for an immediate end to President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration in the city.
An ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good, also 37, on Jan. 7 while she was allegedly obstructing enforcement operations.
Suozzi called the deaths “watershed moments in our nation’s history.”
Homeland Security Investigations agents are reviewing body camera footage from the Pretti shooting. The agency and FBI are both probing the incident, according to Trump administration officials.
