ICE violence intensifies budget dispute in the US Congress and puts pressure on the Trump administration.

247 - The government of US President Donald Trump has faced increased political pressure in Washington following the killing of Alex Pretti, a US citizen shot by agents of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis. The incident, which occurred last Saturday (24), deepened the impasse surrounding the approval of the federal budget and increased the risk of another government shutdown. This information comes from the newspaper... Folha de São Paulo.

The repercussions of the case, which represents the second murder of a US citizen by ICE in the city, led the White House to recalibrate its discourse amid negotiations to approve the budget by Friday (30). The budget package under discussion includes resources for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for ICE.

Secretary of the department is questioned in Congress.

The agency's secretary, Kristi Noem, has become the target of questioning in Congress. According to The New York Times, she spent about two hours answering questions about the tactics adopted by the agency. Democratic lawmakers are advocating for impeachment proceedings, while Trump denies that she will leave her post.

Throughout Monday (26), the government signaled possible changes by announcing the departure of Gregory Bovino from the command of the ICE operation in Minneapolis. Known for defending violent deportation actions, Bovino was removed from the position. According to The Atlantic magazine, he will return to his previous post as an officer with the border protection agency, CBP, in California, with the expectation of retirement soon.

Budget dispute intensifies.

In the Senate, the budget bill provides for an additional $10 billion to ICE, on top of the $76 billion already allocated to the agency over four years, as established in the package that Trump called the "big beautiful bill."

Despite being a minority in Congress, Democrats say now is the time to pressure the government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced he will vote against the fiscal package. "The DHS bill is woefully inadequate to control ICE abuses," he stated.

Senator Elizabeth Warren also stated that she will vote against the budget. "Untrained agents terrorize our communities. We shouldn't give another penny to this rogue agency," she said.

Government negotiates withdrawal of agents from Minneapolis.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the withdrawal of agents from Minnesota would depend on the surrender of all suspected criminals and undocumented immigrants living in the state, which is governed by Democrats. Hours later, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey declared that he had spoken with Trump and that some of the ICE agents would begin leaving the city on Tuesday.

Among Republicans, criticism arose regarding the tactics adopted by ICE. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana described Pretti's death as "extremely disturbing." "The credibility of ICE and DHS is at stake. There must be a thorough joint investigation, conducted by federal and state authorities, that we can trust to present the truth to the American people," he stated.

Contradictions regarding the approach that resulted in death.

Nevertheless, the prevailing view among Trump's allies maintains that the agents were put at risk by the protests in Minneapolis, which began earlier this month. On that occasion, another American citizen, Renee Nicole Good, was also shot and killed by an ICE agent.

After Pretti's death, federal authorities initially stated that he had threatened the agents with a weapon. Videos released later show that he was only filming the action at the time of the approach.

Senators Ted Cruz and Michael McCaul called for an investigation to clarify the case. Cruz said he was shocked by the images, while McCaul stated that the inquiry is necessary to "maintain Americans' trust in the justice system."

The political impact extends beyond Congress.

In the Republican camp, the political impact of the episode led Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Chris Madel to withdraw his candidacy. "I cannot support the revenge promised by Republicans against the citizens of our state, nor can I consider myself a member of a party that would do that," he declared.

Despite the disagreements, some lawmakers insist on the need to approve the budget to avoid another government shutdown. Republican Senator Katie Britt of Alabama called for support for the package and recalled that the last government shutdown, last year, lasted 43 days. "We know from recent history that government shutdowns don't help anyone and are not in the best interest of the American people," she stated.