Missouri’s U.S. senators are striking notably different tones in their reaction to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics in Minnesota after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti on Saturday.
Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have descended upon Minnesota in the past few weeks. And since an ICE officer killed Renee Good on Jan. 7 and CBP agents killed Pretti on Saturday, Trump, adviser Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have faced withering, bipartisan criticism.
Before Pretti’s death, Minnesota residents captured ICE and CPB officers on video asking people with accents for their immigration papers and parading a half-naked Laotian immigrant with legal status out of his house. They also faced widespread criticism for sending people with pending asylum claims to detention centers in Texas.
Hawley stressed that immigration enforcement officials often face dangerous situations and “deserve all the credit in the world.”
But when asked if more scrutiny from members of Congress is needed, Hawley, a GOP member of the committee that oversees the Department of Homeland Security, said “nobody’s infallible.”
“We can say law enforcement is doing tremendous work. They deserve our support,” said Hawley, who pointed out how he’s introduced legislation to give police officers raises. “But when mistakes occur, there needs to be scrutiny on that. And certainly there needs to be an adjustment of practices if there are problems.”
Hawley said he supported putting the officers who shot Pretti on leave. He also said there “needs to be a full investigation of what's happened in Minnesota this most recent shooting.”
He pointed to legislation he sponsored to train ICE agents at Ft. Leonard Wood as a potential way to change how immigration enforcement officials encounter members of the public. For instance: Members of Minnesota’s autism community chastised how immigration officials violently dragged an autistic woman out of her car – pointing out that neurodivergent people often have difficulties in engaging with law enforcement officials.
“Surely everybody can agree we want to give these people the best training possible,” Hawley said. “They're out there in very dangerous situations, very, very combustible situations, to put it mildly. And keeping civilians safe has got to be a top priority. Keeping the law enforcement officers safe and making sure we actually get the violent criminals who should be the target.”
Schmitt defends Trump
Some of Hawley’s GOP colleagues, such as U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski, called for Noem to resign – with Tillis pointing out her stewardship of FEMA has been especially inept.
Hawley said it’s the president’s choice on who he keeps in his cabinet or who advises him.
But Hawley’s Missouri colleague, U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, has not been one of the GOP lawmakers calling for Trump to change course.
Shortly after Pretti’s shooting, Schmitt said in a Facebook post “the Left has decided escalating anarchy serves their political interests.”
And during a Wednesday speech on the Senate floor, Schmitt said that while “the lives lost in Minnesota have been tragic,” the killings are “not on ICE, it's not on the Border Patrol, and it's certainly not on President Trump. If it were, we would be seeing the same chaos in every city where ice and border patrol carries out these operations.”
“They are not villains. They are American heroes,” Schmitt said. “They are on the front lines of the fight to save our country, and we owe them absolute, unequivocal, unflinching support.”
During previous interviews with St. Louis Public Radio discussing immigration enforcement efforts in Chicago and Los Angeles, Schmitt has said those oft-criticized operations represent a culmination of Trump’s “mass deportation" pledge during the 2024 campaign.
He made a similar argument on the Senate floor, saying: “If democracy means anything at all, it means that this administration must be allowed to carry out the agenda.”
“So protest all you want,” Schmitt said. “But let law enforcement do their jobs enforcing the immigration laws that Republicans and Democrats passed.”
Hawley and Schmitt’s comments come as senators agreed to avoid a government shutdown by negotiating legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security.
Spencer speaks out
St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer put out a video statement on Thursday expressing her support for the city’s immigrant community.
After alluding to high-profile immigration enforcement actions elsewhere, Spencer said: “I am incredibly proud to be the mayor of a diverse city.”
“Immigrants have helped shape St. Louis in the city we all love,” Spencer said. “They are our friends, our neighbors, our small business owners. And here in St. Louis, we know that diversity is a strength, not a weakness. I want you to hear from me personally that I care about your safety and your well being, and we will do everything we can to protect you.”
Based on 2024 figures, the St. Louis region’s foreign born population is around 4.8%. And Spencer said there are numerous organizations trying to help people who were born outside of the United States.
“St. Louis is strongest when we lead with empathy, courage and community,” Spencer said. “In moments of uncertainty, we choose to stand together.”
