1. United States
2. Minn.
3. Letter

Today’s DHS congressional forum was heartbreaking and infuriating. Families stood before Congress and described how their loved ones were killed during immigration enforcement operations. Renée Good and Alexi were not statistics. They were Americans with families who will live the rest of their lives with unanswered questions, grief, and the knowledge that the government they trusted failed them. Listening to those families, one truth was unavoidable: this did not have to happen. What made the moment even more shameful was that not a single Republican member of Congress bothered to attend. While families relived the worst days of their lives, elected officials chose absence. Oversight of federal power is not optional. Refusing to show up while Americans describe being killed by their own government is not neutrality. It is cowardice, and it is profoundly un-American. These deaths demand more than sympathy. They demand accountability. Independent investigations into the killings of Renée Good on January 7 and Alexi on January 24 must be conducted with full transparency. Families deserve the truth, not silence, delays, or closed doors. The public deserves to know how these operations were approved, how force was used, and why lethal outcomes were allowed. Congress must also act to prevent this from happening again. Mandatory body cameras, clear identification requirements, limits on face coverings, and strict use of force standards are basic safeguards. Without enforcement and consequences, policies are meaningless. Finally, leadership must answer for this. DHS and ICE leadership should be required to testify, under oath, and explain how their policies allowed Americans to be killed during enforcement actions. If failures occurred, those responsible must be held to account. A nation that values life does not look away when the government takes it. Silence is not acceptable. Inaction is not acceptable. I expect real action, clear timelines, and accountability equal to the harm done.