1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support defunding Immigration and Customs Enforcement following three shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis this month alone. This pattern of violence demonstrates that ICE operations are making our communities less safe, not more secure. On January 7, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. A week later, another ICE agent shot a Venezuelan immigrant in the leg during a traffic stop. This Saturday, federal agents killed another person in Minneapolis. In each case, federal officials have obstructed local law enforcement from investigating. After Saturday's shooting, federal agents attempted to prevent Minneapolis police from accessing the scene to preserve evidence, forcing Police Chief Brian O'Hara to order his officers to remain on site per standard protocol. The FBI agent who initially investigated the Renee Good shooting as a civil rights case resigned after being ordered to reclassify it as an investigation into an assault on the officer. The FBI blocked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from participating in that investigation. This pattern of federal interference prevents accountability and erodes public trust. ICE's presence has sparked massive community opposition. Despite wind chills of negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit, 20,000 people signed up for a rally at Target Center, and protesters have marched through downtown Minneapolis for days. About 100 people were arrested at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport during Friday protests. This level of sustained resistance reflects deep community concern about federal overreach. Governor Tim Walz, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have all called for ICE to leave Minnesota. Mayor Frey specifically described the increase in federal immigration agents as political retribution that is not making the city safer. I urge you to support legislation that defunds ICE and redirects those resources toward community-based public safety approaches that actually protect residents. Federal immigration enforcement is creating chaos and violence in Minnesota communities.