Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro urged the Trump administration to end its immigration-enforcement deployment in Minnesota after Border Patrol agents fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Shapiro said the mission is "broken" and called for President Trump to fire DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, arguing she was unqualified. He also pressed Congress to withhold funding for interior immigration operations via the DHS funding bill in the six-bill package aimed at averting a partial government shutdown. Funding for the government is set to expire on Jan. 30, and any legislative changes would require House action when it returns from recess.
Shapiro: Minnesota Immigration Operation 'Must Be Terminated' — Urges Trump To Fire DHS Secretary Noem
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on Tuesday demanded that the Trump administration end its immigration-enforcement deployment in Minnesota after a federal-agent shooting in Minneapolis left a man dead.
"This mission is broken. It must be terminated," Shapiro told CBS Mornings, pressing the administration to halt the operation and withdraw federal agents from the state.
The deployment has come under intense scrutiny after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, on Saturday — an incident that followed another fatal shooting involving a federal agent in Minneapolis weeks earlier. Video analyses and visual investigations into the Pretti shooting have been published by multiple outlets.
Federal Response and Leadership
On Monday, President Trump announced he would send border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to oversee the operation. CBS News reported that, despite an internal review, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to remain in her post, though officials anticipate her priorities will shift away from interior immigration enforcement toward securing the southern border and other duties.
Shapiro's Call For Action
"I will believe this president when he calls off the mission, when he ends it, when he sends these federal troops home and out of Minnesota and stops wreaking havoc on our communities," Shapiro said, arguing the administration's rhetoric has not matched its tactics.
Asked whether Noem should be removed, Shapiro said she was "wholly unqualified when she got the job" and added, "Trump should fire her. And if Trump doesn't fire, the Congress should act." He declined to press for impeachment specifically but emphasized Congress's responsibility if the president does not act.
Funding Fight Ahead
Shapiro said his top priority is whether Congress will withhold funding for interior immigration-enforcement operations. The issue is tied to a Department of Homeland Security funding measure included in a six-bill package senators are moving this week to avert a partial government shutdown. Current government funding is set to expire after Friday, Jan. 30.
"All the Congress needs to do is pull back on the funding and put specific language in the bill that says you can't fund an operation like what's going on in Minnesota," Shapiro said, urging bipartisan support to restrict funding for deployments carried out in a similar manner.
The House is on recess this week, so any changes to the legislation would require action when members return. Meanwhile, sources say Noem is facing internal backlash inside DHS following the Pretti shooting.
Context: The events have sparked broader debate over the use of federal agents for interior immigration enforcement and the oversight of such operations, particularly when civilian deaths occur. Lawmakers and community leaders have called for greater transparency and reforms to prevent future tragedies.
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