WASHINGTON — The killing of a Minnesota woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer reverberated across Capitol Hill where Democrats — and certain Republicans — vow an assertive response as President Donald Trump's aggressive deportation operations spark protests nationwide.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem holds a news conference Thursday in New York.

Lawmakers demand a range of actions, from a full investigation into Renee Good's shooting death and policy changes over law enforcement raids to the defunding of ICE operations and the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in what is fast becoming an inflection point.

"The situation that took place in Minnesota is a complete and total disgrace," House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said as details emerged. "And in the next few days, we will be having conversations about a strong and forceful and appropriate response by House Democrats."

Yet there is almost no consensus among the political parties in the aftermath of the death of Good, who was behind the wheel of an SUV when she was shot and killed by an ICE officer.

The killing immediately drew dueling narratives. Trump and Noem said the ICE officer acted in self-defense. Democratic officials said the Trump administration lied, and urged the public to see the viral videos of the shooting for themselves.

Republicans lawmakers expressed concern but stood by the administration's policy, defending the officer's actions and largely blaming Good for the standoff. Vice President JD Vance called it "a tragedy of her own making," and said the ICE officer may have been "sensitive" after being injured during an unrelated altercation last year.

Still, Good's killing — at least the fifth since the administration launched its mass deportation campaign — could change the political dynamic.

"The videos I've seen from Minneapolis yesterday are deeply disturbing," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

"As we mourn this loss of life, we need a thorough and objective investigation into how and why this happened," she said. She also called for policy changes, saying the situation "was devastating, and cannot happen again."

The U.S. Capitol is seen Jan. 5 in Washington.

Homeland Security funding is up for debate

The push in Congress for more oversight and accountability comes amid the annual appropriations process to fund agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, to prevent another federal government shutdown when money expires at the end of January.

As anti-ICE demonstrations erupt in cities in the aftermath of Good's death, Democrats pledged to use legislative levers to apply pressure on the administration to change ICE officers' conduct.

The ICE officer "needs to be held accountable," Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., said, as well as "ICE as a whole, the president and this entire administration."

Several Democrats joined calls to impeach Noem, who was under fire from both parties for her lack of transparency at the department, though that step is unlikely with Republicans in control of Congress.

"More Democrats are saying today the thing that a number of us have been saying since April and May: Kristi Noem is dangerous. She should not be in office, and she should be impeached," said Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez, who represents parts of Chicago where ICE launched an enhanced immigration enforcement action last year that resulted in two deaths.

Other Democrats want to restrict the funding for Noem's department, whose budget was vastly increased as part of Republicans' sweeping tax and spending law passed last summer.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, the top Democrat on the subcommittee that handles Homeland Security funding, plans to introduce legislation to rein in the agency with constraints on federal agents' authority, including a requirement that the Border Patrol stick to the border and DHS enforcement officers be unmasked.

Demonstrators protest Thursday at the White House in Washington against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

Other ICE shootings have rattled lawmakers

Immigration debates long divided Congress and the parties. Democrats splinter between more liberal and stricter attitudes toward newcomers to the U.S. Republicans embraced Trump's hard-line approach.

Ahead of November's midterm election, which Democrats believe will hinge on issues such as affordability and health care, national outcry over ICE's conduct pressured lawmakers to speak out.

"I'm not completely against deportations, but the way they're handling it is a real disgrace," said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, who represents a district along the U.S.-Mexico border. "Right now, you're seeing humans treated like animals," he said.

In September, a federal immigration enforcement agent in Chicago shot and killed Silverio Villegas Gonzalez during a brief altercation after Gonzalez dropped off his children at school.

In October, a Customs and Border Protection agent in Chicago shot Marimar Martinez, a teacher and U.S. citizen, five times during a dispute with officers. A federal judge dismissed charges against Martinez.

To Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Ill., Good's death "brought back heart-wrenching memories of those two shootings in my district."

"It looks like the fact that a US citizen, who is a white woman, may be opening the eyes of the American public, certainly of members of Congress, that what's going on is out of control," he said, "that this isn't about apprehending or pursuing the most dangerous immigrants."


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