This week’s guide to government and politics in under 10 minutes

I ICE KILLS MINNESOTA NURSE DURING PROTEST

On Saturday, a federal immigration officer shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the city and the January 7 shooting of Renee Good. Pretti died just over a mile away from where an immigration agent shot Good. The Department of Homeland Security has characterized the shooting as “defensive shots” fired after Pretti approached agents and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him. State officials and media analysts are disputing that account. Bystander videos of the shooting circulated on social media shortly after it happened, and appear to show Pretti, a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, with a phone in his hand. Pretti was armed, but no videos have so far circulated showing him with a visible weapon. Witnesses stated in sworn testimony that Pretti was not brandishing a gun when federal officers engaged him. 

>> What rights do you have if you’re stopped by ICE? Find out here.

I JUDGE ISSUES RESTRAINING ORDER ON DHS INVESTIGATION

Following the shooting, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) filed a lawsuit to prevent the destruction of evidence related to the shooting of Pretti. After the shooting, federal agents asked Minneapolis Police Department officers to leave the scene. The local police remained to protect the scene under orders from their watch commander. Federal Judge Eric Tostrud granted a temporary injunction, and scheduled a hearing for today to review the order. In the lawsuit, the BCA says it was blocked from accessing the shooting scene to collect evidence despite having a search warrant giving them authority to do so. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said that Homeland Security, not the FBI, will be conducting the investigation into the shooting. When asked if Homeland Security would work with local law enforcement, Noem said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz couldn’t be trusted.

>> Understand how charges against federal agents would work here.

I REPUBLICANS PUSH BACK ON ICE ACTIONS

Republican lawmakers and political figures have begun pushing back against some Trump administration policies. Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene took to social media to urge fellow MAGA supporters and other Americans to “take off their political blinders” regarding Pretti’s death, warning that they were being “incited into civil war.” Representative Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to DHS requesting ICE senior official Toddy Lyons, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow appear before the committee. Garbarino previously requested senior DHS officials appear before the committee in a January 15 letter. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) called the shooting “incredibly disturbing," saying that the “credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake.” Senator Thom Tills (R-NC) said “any administration official who rushes to judgement and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation.”

I SHOOTING THREATENS GOVERNMENT SPENDING DEAL

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Senate Democrats will not vote for a spending package that includes money for the Department of Homeland Security, risking a partial government shutdown on January 30. Schumer linked a refusal to support the spending package to the events in Minnesota, saying “the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE.” The spending bills passed the House last week with the support of seven Democrats. The bills would likely need support from eight Democrats to clear the Senate assuming Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) votes no, which he normally does for spending packages. Funding for federal departments in the spending bills runs out on January 30. 

>> Find out how shutdowns affect federal workers and ripple out into daily life here.

I ANTI-ICE PROTESTS INTENSIFY

Protests against ICE actions in Minnesota and across the country are intensifying. Workers through Minnesota have been pressuring their employers to act, with a general strike and protests in Minneapolis-St. Paul shutting down hundreds of businesses on Friday. CEOs of more than 60 Minnesota-based businesses and the state’s chamber of commerce signed an open letter on Sunday calling for state, local, and federal officials “to work together to find real solutions” and for “an immediate de-escalation of tensions.” The state of Minnesota and the Twin cities cited economic impacts earlier this month when filing a lawsuit asking a federal judge to halt the immigration operations, asserting that some businesses have reported sales drops up to 80%.

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