U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott refused Tuesday in the U.S. Congress to answer questions about the two citizens who were recently shot and killed by agents of both agencies during immigration raids in Minneapolis.
In the expected appearance of both officials before the House Homeland Security Committee, Lyons refused to apologize for the Trump administration’s haste in describing the victims, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as “terrorists.”
Appearance in Congress of immigration officials
ICE acting director Todd Lyons refused to apologize to the families of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti for the portrayal of them by top administration officials as ‘domestic terrorists’ https://t.co/ZdRcFfNsBm pic.twitter.com/6pJlwoEAO2
– Reuters (@Reuters) February 10, 2026
“I’m not going to talk about any ongoing investigation,” was the argument of the ICE director to avoid giving explanations about the deaths that have opened a political crisis of the first level.
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Republican Andrew Garbarino, insisted on the need to know all the details surrounding the death of the two citizens.
“Upon completion of the investigation, will you undertake to provide the reports and findings of each investigation to this committee?” he asked.
“Yes,” Lyons responded, “we are committed to providing you with a full and complete investigation as a result.”
Senior officials from the agencies at the center of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy also failed to tell senators how many agents have been sanctioned for misconduct as part of immigration raids in the state of Minnesota, where Minneapolis is located.
The appearance in Congress of immigration officials, at whose doors dozens of citizens gathered to protest against ICE and CBP, ended up reflecting the distance on immigration issues between Democrats and Republicans in a key week of congressional negotiations.
While the Democrats insisted on the excesses of federal agents, the Republicans emphasized the need to control illegal immigration, which they consider dangerous for U.S. citizens.
Democrats are holding off for now on approving funding for the Department of Homeland Security, on which ICE and CBP depend, passed this week unless some of its operational protocols are modified, such as allowing agents to enter homes only with a warrant signed by a judge or prohibiting or limiting agents from wearing masks or covering their faces.
If an agreement is not reached with the Republicans before Saturday, the department could go into administrative shutdown, which would affect its activities.
Filed as: Appearance in the Congress of Immigration Officials
With information from EFE
