Democratic lawmakers issued apologies and pledged investigations after several U.S. citizens gave harrowing testimony about violent encounters with federal immigration agents tied to a recent enforcement campaign. The hearing — held with few Republican attendees — featured emotional accounts from family members and victims who described shootings, forceful removals from cars, and dehumanizing treatment in detention.
Devastating Personal Testimony
Luke and Brent Ganger described the loss of their sister, 37-year-old Renee Good, a mother of three who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 as she attempted to drive away from agents. The brothers said their grief was compounded by subsequent violence in the city, including the fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti by border patrol agents on Jan. 24.
“This is not just a bad day or a rough week or isolated incidents,” Luke Ganger told lawmakers. “These encounters with federal agents are changing the community and changing many lives, including ours.”
Shooting and Troubling Messages
Marimar Martinez, from Chicago, recounted being shot five times by a border patrol agent and later learning that images of her wounded body were circulated to colleagues as so-called “trophy” pictures. The agent was identified during the hearing as Charles Exum, and text messages attributed to him were shown to the panel. One text read: “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book, boys.” Members of Congress at the hearing called for his arrest and prosecution; the criminal charges that had been brought against Martinez were later dismissed.
Accounts of Force and Mistreatment
Aliya Rahman, who said she lives with autism and a traumatic brain injury, described being violently pulled from her car after becoming trapped in traffic caused by ICE vehicles while en route to a medical appointment in Minneapolis on Jan. 13. Rahman testified that she repeatedly told officers she was disabled but was nonetheless forced face-first to the ground, carried while cuffed, and later detained. She also said agents referred to detainees as “bodies.”
Martin Daniel Rascon of San Bernardino, California, recounted his own traumatic experience after an agent fired at the vehicle in which he and family members were traveling last August. During his testimony, Rahman put an arm around Rascon to offer comfort.
Lawmakers’ Response
Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, and Senator Richard Blumenthal, who co-chaired the hearing, called the testimony a moral reckoning and promised accountability.
“You all deserve justice and you deserve peace,” Garcia said. “We will hold those who caused you harm accountable.”
Blumenthal described the moment as both a “defining moment and a moral moment.” He invoked a historic rebuke — asking officials if they had “no sense of decency” — as part of his criticism of senior administration figures tied to the enforcement campaign. Senator Alex Padilla lamented the lack of Republican participation at the hearing and urged his colleagues not to abandon oversight when tragedies occur.
What’s Next
Lawmakers called for further investigations, possible prosecutions, and reforms to how federal immigration enforcement is conducted. The hearing highlighted not only specific allegations against individual agents but also broader concerns about use of force, accountability, and the treatment of people with disabilities during enforcement actions.
Key names and dates: Renee Good (killed Jan. 7 in Minneapolis), Alex Pretti (killed Jan. 24), Marimar Martinez (shot five times; agent identified as Charles Exum), Aliya Rahman (incident Jan. 13), Martin Daniel Rascon (incident last August).
