Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), one of seven House Democrats to vote in favor of funding the Department of Homeland Security last week, walked back his support on Monday in the wake of another fatal immigration official-involved shooting in Minneapolis.
Suozzi, who represents a suburban district that President Donald Trump won in 2024, said at the time of the vote that he did not take into account the anger of his constituents and needed to do a better job of showing his opposition to the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota.
“I failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis,” the New York Democrat said in a social media post. “I hear the anger from my constituents, and I take responsibility for that. I have long been critical of ICE’s unlawful behavior and I must do a better job demonstrating that.”
Suozzi’s apology came after the death of Alex Pretti, an American citizen, in Minneapolis on Saturday. Pretti was fatally shot during an altercation with Border Patrol agents. At the time of the incident, Pretti was recording a federal immigration operation and intervened before being taken to the ground by agents and shot.
Although an ICE officer was not responsible for Pretti’s shooting, the agency has been the face of the immigration raids in Minnesota, especially after an ICE officer fatally shot another American citizen, Renee Good, earlier this month.
The incidents have put new scrutiny on the DHS funding bill Suozzi supported last week.
Six of the 12 appropriations bills have been signed into law by Trump. The House passed the DHS funding bill and three others last week, with the Senate planning to package them together with two others passed earlier this month.
Democrats secured a $115 million reduction in funding for ICE operations in the DHS funding bill. GOP appropriators also agreed to reduce the number of detention beds in migrant holding facilities by 5,500 and earmark $20 million to equip ICE officers with body cameras.
While some Democrats, such as Suozzi, have since distanced themselves from their support, others have defended voting for the DHS bill.
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) said he backed the legislation “not to fund ICE” but to fund other agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Coast Guard. In a video, he also asked for an investigation into the recent ICE incidents.
The shootings in Minnesota have enraged Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has threatened to derail several must-pass government funding bills ahead of Jan. 30 unless Republicans agree to strip out funding for DHS and impose guardrails on ICE and Border Patrol.
“Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included,” said Schumer.
HILL REPUBLICANS RAISE CONCERN OVER SECOND FATAL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS: ‘DISTURBING’
Several centrist Senate Democrats, including some who voted to end the government shutdown in November 2025, have already come out against keeping the government open if DHS funding is included.
Pretti’s shooting has also drawn criticism and concern from a handful of congressional Republicans, all of whom are calling for an independent investigation into the incident.