ICE chief won’t apologize for officials calling Good, Pretti terrorists

The head of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement declined Tuesday to apologize for the “domestic terrorist” label leveled at Renee Good and Alex Pretti by the Trump administration, citing investigations into their fatal shootings by federal officers.

Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, appeared for a hearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security alongside Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow.

Looming over the hearing was a Friday deadline for Congress to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats are threatening to hold up funding for DHS unless Republicans and the Trump administration agree to substantial reforms to ICE.

Lyons in particular was pressed on the fatal shooting of Good and Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis, including on the administration’s response.

“Mr. Lyons, will you apologize to the family of Renee Good for [her] being called a domestic terrorist by the president and his leadership?” asked Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.

“No, sir, I will not,” Lyons responded, as he repeatedly referred to the ongoing investigation into her shooting.

“Will you apologize to the family of Alex Pretti for also being called a domestic terrorist?” Swalwell continued.

“Sir, again, I’m not going to speak to any ongoing investigation,” Lyons said.

The Justice Department has refused to investigate the ICE officer who killed Good. MS NOW reported that aides to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche instead directed federal officials to probe Good for suspected assault on an officer, though a search warrant for that investigation was ultimately rejected by a judge.

Under pressure, the department opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death in late January after initially declining to do so.

At the hearing Tuesday, Lyons repeated assertions that federal officers are facing a rise in threats in part because of references to ICE as the Gestapo.

“People are simply making valid observations about your tactics, which are un-American and outright fascist,” said Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y. “So I have a simple suggestion: If you don’t want to be called a fascist regime or secret police, then stop acting like one.”