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By Mandy Taheri and Jason Lemon
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Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, sent a letter to President Donald Trump with his Democratic colleague Representative Tom Suozzi on Tuesday, asking to discuss immigration reforms, specifically including a provision to "provide legal protections to millions of immigrants."
Newsweek reached out to the press teams of the representatives' offices via email on Tuesday for comment.
Why It Matters
The bipartisan letter comes as public outrage over federal immigration practices has escalated in recent days following the fatal shooting of two people in Minneapolis in January, Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good. Another shooting in the city left Venezuelan migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis injured during an attempted detention.
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Democrats have repeated calls for ICE to leave the state and communities nationwide. DHS announced Operation Metro Surge in the Minneapolis area in December and has since brought in thousands of federal immigration enforcement officers.
Some Republicans have broken party ranks to criticize the Trump administration's immigration efforts and federal agents' use of force in Minnesota.
What To Know
The death of Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and U.S. citizen, has sparked public backlash and enflamed tensions over immigration enforcement in the U.S. The Problems Solvers Caucus co-chairs noted this in their letter to the president, writing: "The tragedy in Minneapolis and the looming federal government shutdown demand that Congress and the White House, Democrats and Republicans, finally work together to address the immigration and border security issues that have festered for too long," the letter said.
The letter lays out five proposals: secure the border, amend the asylum system, "provide legal protections to millions of immigrants," strengthen police-community relations, and require that all federal law enforcement-involved shooting incidents undergo proper independent investigation.
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Specifically, regarding legal protections, the letter writes, "consistent with your admonition to use some 'common sense' regarding the modernization of our legal immigration system." In terms of the police-community relations, the lawmakers seek to ensure that "federal law enforcement officers only engage in enforcement actions for which they are properly trained and that are consistent with their agency's specific mission, ensuring compliance with standard law enforcement," as well as collaboration.
The letter comes amid reports about Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino's future since Trump announced a series of updates on federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
The president announced on Monday that he was sending border czar Tom Homan to the state, who he said will report directly to him. The President also revealed in Truth Social posts that he had a "very good call" with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and another with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, about which he said "lots of progress is being made."
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday: "We're doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I'm going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself."
Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah said in an X post: “I disagree with Secretary Noem’s premature DHS response, which came before all the facts were known and weakened confidence."
Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz said on his Verdict with Ted Cruz podcast, "Escalating the rhetoric doesn't help, and it actually loses credibility. And so I would encourage the administration to be more measured, to recognize the tragedy and to say, we don't want anyone, anyone's lives, to be lost, and the politicians who are pouring gasoline on this fire, they need to stop."
Mark Zito, special agent in charge, HSI St. Paul, in a sworn declaration filed in court on Monday: “H.S.I. is the lead investigatory entity reviewing the use-of-force encounter at issue in this case. H.S.I. agents tasked with this investigation are required to preserve all evidence collected, including physical evidence collected by other federal agencies, which are then properly transferred to the custody of H.S.I.”
Alex Pretti's parents said in a joint statement: "The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed."
What Happens Next
The letter calls for the government to come together to "lower the temperature, reject reckless rhetoric, condemn violence and hatred in all their forms." It is not clear if the president will meet the lawmakers over the matter.
Republicans, including Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick, Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts, Texas Representative Michael McCaul, former Vice President Mike Pence, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Kansas Senator Jerry Moran have all called for an investigation into the shooting.
Trump said investigations will move forward. House Judiciary Committee Democrats set a February 2 deadline for the Justice Department to turn over records related to the Pretti and Good cases, and multiple congressional committees requested testimony from DHS and immigration agency leaders.
Update 1/27/26, 6:15 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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