Senate hearing turns tense over Minneapolis shooting
The men tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda were made to watch a video of the shooting death of Alex Pretti in a slow, moment-by-moment analysis by Senator Rand Paul, who repeatedly cast doubt on the tactics used by federal officers and warned that the American public had lost trust in the country’s immigration agencies.
It was a tense confrontation at a Senate hearing on Thursday that was called to scrutinise the immigration chiefs as they carry out one of Trump’s signature policy and after the deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis over recent weeks at the hands of federal officers. Paul, who paused the video every few seconds to explain his interpretation of the events, argued that Pretti posed no threat to the officers and questioned why the situation culminated in the ICU nurse’s death.
“He is retreating at every moment,” said Paul, speaking of Pretti’s behavior while officers pepper-sprayed him. “He’s trying to get away and he’s being sprayed in the face.” The hearing’s witnesses included Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Rodney Scott, who heads Customs and Border Protection, and Joseph Edlow, who runs US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The same officials appeared in front of a House committee earlier this week.
Paul’s comments were a strong rebuke of the conduct by CBP officers who ultimately shot and killed Pretti on January 24 in Minneapolis. “It’s clearly evident that the public trust has been lost. To restore trust in ICE and Border Patrol they must admit their mistakes, be honest and forthright with their rules of engagement and pledge to reform,” Paul said in his opening statements. Joseph Edlow, director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Rodney Scott and Todd Lyons in Washington.
