The signs that Trump and Noem’s ICE swarm in Minnesota is falling apart after the Alex Pretti killing

The killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by Border Patrol agents set off another firestorm nationwide just weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official killed Renee Good.

And just like the killing of Good, President Donald Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and the rest of the administration has parroted the line alleging Pretti was a domestic terrorist.

Trump and others have publicly affirmed that Pretti came at federal agents with a firearm though multiple video recordings contradict the official story and he was licensed to carry the holstered pistol.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller went so far as to accuse Pretti of wanting to “assassinate” federal agents. After days of snowballing criticism of the Pretti killing from both sides of the political aisle, the president on Monday announced he was dispatching Tom Homan, his “border czar,” to Minneapolis.

But there is more to this seeming Trump walk-back than meets the eye.

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The shooting is not just an approval ratings issue for Trump, it also comes at a crucial time for his Republican Party. Congress needs to pass a handful of spending bills to avoid a partial shutdown, including its bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which houses ICE and CBP.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that Democrats will not vote for a spending package that includes spending for DHS. This could trigger a partial shutdown, though not a full-on shutdown like in October, since Congress has passed most of the other spending bills.

But unlike the killing of Good by an ICE agent earlier this month, Republican senators seem to be queasy about the way Pretti’ was gunned down by CBP officials.

The day after the shooting, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called for an investigation.

“For this specific incident, that requires cooperation and transparency between federal, state, and local law enforcement,” he said. “Any administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy.”

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Tillis speaking out is not necessarily surprising. For one, he announced his retirement last year and two, he’s grown increasingly frustrated with Noem for her refusal to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. And his choice of words shows he’s trying not to cross the president.

But he’s not alone. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) echoed this call for an investigation as well, not to oppose ICE or CBP, but to protect it.

“The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake,” he said. “There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”

Unsurprisingly, senior CBP official Gregory Bovino shot back at Cassidy.

“The same state that refuses to work with ICE is now going to ‘investigate’?” he posted on X. “How about investigating a certain mayor who told cops to fight ICE in the streets. You don't seem concerned about that - how come, senator?”

Of course, Cassidy speaking out is a crisis of Trump’s own making. Cassidy, a gastroenterologist, always would have to walk a tightrope after he voted to convict Trump for his action on Jan. 6. He held his tongue and voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Health and Human Services Secretary.

But Trump’s decision to endorse Rep. Julia Letlow in the Republican primary in the state all but guaranteed Cassidy would start to criticize Trump more.

It’s not just the moderates though. Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, who narrowly won his race in 2024 and is married to Trump’s former deputy national security adviser Dina Powell, also called for an investigation.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the only Republican senator from a state that voted for a Democrat for president, also called for an investigation. This comes as the administration has sent ICE to Maine to crack down on Maine’s Somali-American community.

This will likely be the compromise Republicans seek: an investigation in exchange for funding the department.

But Republicans face major challenges.

A YouGov survey from this week showed that 57 percent of Americans disapprove of the job ICE is doing. In addition, the number of Americans who say ICE’s tactics are too forceful jumped by five points to 58 percent this month.

This is all partially because Republicans have given Trump carte blanche on immigration enforcement. They voted to confirm Noem and all but three Republican senators voted for the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which boosted spending for ICE to about $75 billion.

That gave ICE and CBP impetus to patrol the streets with the impunity we see today. Now Republicans have to grapple with how to rein in what they fed.