Congress Grills Trump Immigration Leaders Over Protester Deaths/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Top Trump administration immigration officials testified before Congress amid outrage over protester deaths. Lawmakers questioned aggressive enforcement tactics, civil rights concerns, and sweeping deportation policies. Funding fights and shutdown threats now loom over the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump Immigration Chiefs Testifying – Quick Looks
- Senior immigration officials testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security
- Hearing follows deaths of protesters Alex Pretti and Renee Good
- Democrats threaten DHS shutdown unless ICE limits are imposed
- ICE, CBP, and USCIS defend expanded enforcement under Trump agenda
- Tensions rise over constitutional rights and immigration protests
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Deep Look: Trump Immigration Chiefs Testify in Congress After Protester Deaths
Senior officials overseeing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation strategy appeared before Congress Tuesday, facing intense scrutiny following the deaths of two protesters and mounting concerns over aggressive immigration enforcement inside U.S. cities.
The leaders of the nation’s three major immigration agencies — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protectionand U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — testified amid falling public support for the administration’s hardline approach.
Appearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security were Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE; Rodney Scott, commissioner of CBP; and Joseph Edlow, director of USCIS. Lawmakers pressed the officials on enforcement tactics, constitutional concerns, and the expanding scope of immigration arrests.
Protester Deaths Cast Shadow Over Hearing
The hearing followed heightened public outrage after Homeland Security officers killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good during protests against immigration raids in Minneapolis. Democrats accused the administration of recklessness and demanded accountability for what they describe as excessive force and erosion of civil liberties.
Ranking Democrat Bennie Thompson displayed photos of the two victims during the hearing and led a moment of silence, calling Homeland Security’s actions “reckless” and “preventable.”
Lyons declined to apologize to the families or comment on allegations from the Trump administration labeling the protesters as domestic extremists. When pressed by Rep. Eric Swalwell to resign, Lyons refused.
Funding Fight and Shutdown Threat
Despite the agencies receiving billions in funding through Trump’s recent tax-and-spending legislation, Democrats are threatening to block further funding unless limits are placed on ICE operations. Congress has funded DHS only through February 13, raising the prospect of a government shutdown.
Lyons and Scott warned lawmakers that a shutdown would harm national security, disrupt counterterrorism operations, and leave tens of thousands of federal workers without pay — including TSA officers, Border Patrol agents, and FEMA employees.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he remains optimistic about avoiding a shutdown but accused Democrats of playing political games with public safety.
ICE Policies Under Fire
ICE’s dramatic expansion under Trump has drawn particular criticism. Lyons defended a controversial memo he signed allowing ICE officers to enter homes without judicial warrants, a move critics say violates Fourth Amendment protections.
ICE has rapidly increased staffing nationwide, deploying agents into cities where protests and clashes with demonstrators have intensified. Lyons insisted officers will not be deterred by public opposition.
“We are only getting started,” he told lawmakers, adding that ICE personnel and their families have faced harassment at their homes.
Enforcement Numbers and Border Claims
Lyons touted ICE’s arrest and removal statistics, claiming 379,000 arrests and more than 475,000 deportations in 2025 alone. He said expanded funding has allowed ICE to increase detention capacity and daily deportation flights.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott praised Trump’s border policies, pointing to reduced illegal crossings, expanded border wall infrastructure, and increased drug seizures. However, he also condemned what he described as coordinated attacks and intimidation against federal officers.
USCIS Focuses on Fraud, TPS Rollbacks
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow centered his testimony on fraud prevention, saying the agency referred more than 33,000 cases to law enforcement last year. He advocated ending protections such as Temporary Protected Status, exposing hundreds of thousands more immigrants to deportation.
A Divided Congress, Escalating Stakes
Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino described the moment as an “inflection point” but barred Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar from participating in the hearing — a move that drew criticism from Democrats.
As funding deadlines approach and public protests continue, the clash between Congress and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement shows no signs of easing.
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