Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA07), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA03), Other Democratic Veterans in Congress Demand that ICE & CBP Stand Down and that Kristi Noem Resign

Vindman, Democratic Veterans in Congress Demand that ICE & CBP Stand Down

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Eugene Vindman (D-Va.-07) joined 14 fellow Democratic Veterans in the U.S. House to call for a stand down of ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) interior operations following the murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.

Vindman, along with U.S. Representatives Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-36), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.-31), Herb Conaway (D-N.J.-03), Jason Crow (D-Colo.-06), Chris Deluzio (D-Penn.-17), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.-02), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.-06), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.-06), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.-19), Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.-18), Bobby Scott (D-Va.-03), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.-04), and Derek Tran (D-Calif.-45), issued the following statement:

“As veterans, we are outraged and horrified by the killing of a second civilian in Minneapolis by federal agents in less than three weeks. Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old American citizen Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at a VA hospital. Video footage and eyewitness accounts of this incident are deeply disturbing and raise serious questions about the use of force.

“This tragic killing comes on the heels of the fatal shooting of Renée Good earlier this month, and multiple other documented incidents of civil-rights abuses and excessive enforcement by ICE and CBP in Minnesota – demonstrating a pattern of misconduct that has fractured trust and terrified communities.

“In the military, when preventable deaths occur, leaders stand down operations to review/change policies, reassess missions, retrain personnel, and implement stronger safety protocols. The Department of Homeland Security must do no less. Our communities are less safe, and tensions have reached a boiling point.

“For these reasons, we call for an immediate stand down of ICE and CBP interior enforcement operations and demand the resignation of the Secretary of Homeland Security. Current leadership has failed to protect civil liberties, ensure accountability, or maintain the public trust.

“We also demand full, transparent, independent investigations into these deaths and abuses, and decisive steps to prevent further civilian killings at the hands of federal agents.”