Florida Democrats called for investigations and removal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota. Republicans blamed protesters for trying to obstruct the agents and prevent them from doing their jobs.
Florida’s political leaders reacted along partisan lines to Saturday’s shooting death of Minnesota protester Alex Pretti, 37, by federal immigration agents.
It was the second such death by authorities in the state in 17 days, following the deadly shooting of Renee Good on Jan. 7.
Posting on X, Republicans largely reiterated views expressed by members of the Trump administration, with some saying that Pretti was killed because he tried to obstruct Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from their jobs deporting unauthorized immigrants from Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Democrats, including several in Broward and Palm Beach counties, said the shooting was unjustified and called for investigations into the actions that led to Pretti’s death. Some called for cutting off ICE’s funding.
Notable exceptions included Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott, both Republicans, who so far have not addressed the incident on their X or Facebook accounts. Spokespersons for the two did not immediately respond to requests for comment by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
But many Florida-based congressional leaders had plenty to say on their social media accounts.
Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat whose Palm Beach County district stretches from West Palm Beach to Delray Beach, said, “What ICE is doing on the streets of America is an abomination.” She called for “a thorough, independent investigation — free from interference and with real accountability.”
Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose district covers southern Broward County, on Saturday noted that “We’ve been warned that Trump’s failure to impose consequences for excessive use of force would cost lives.” She called for ICE agents to be “held accountable to the fullest extent of the law to protect Americans from harm.”
On Sunday, she called ICE agents “undisciplined, masked agents who show no respect for our rights and use lethal force against Americans.”
Wasserman Schultz also called for the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said that Pretti committed domestic terrorism.
Sen. Ashley Moody, a Republican who took over Marco Rubio’s Senate seat a year ago, did not directly address the shooting, but on Saturday posted a statement accusing Democrats with being “so busy trying to win a partisan narrative that they are jeopardizing people’s safety with their rhetoric against federal law enforcement officers.” She urged passage of “my HALO Act, which gives a 25-foot safety zone for officers while they are doing their jobs.”
After the Pretti shooting on Saturday, Rep. Randy Fine posted, “An armed seditionist attacked federal law enforcement today as they were rounding up foreign invaders in Minneapolis The insurrectionist was put down. Well done. I stand with ICE as they fight these foreign invaders and their treasonous allies.”
Fine, a Republican representing a swath of the northeast coastal region, later responded to a tweet by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, that said, “Minnesota has had it. This is sickening.” Walz urged Trump to end this operation and “pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
Fine retweeted the Walz post and said, “You’re sickening. And when we are done, you’ll be in jail.”
On Sunday, Fine posted that he has “zero sympathy to those who interfere with ICE as they are rounding up illegal immigrants” and pledged, “We will not stop working until every single immigrant is rounded up and deported. Every single one.”
Democratic Rep. Darren Soto, whose district covers the southern Orlando region, posted that “ICE criminals killed another American citizen.” He added, “Meanwhile, the House approved a $64.4 BILLION DHS budget this week. This is unacceptable and reckless. The Trump Administration must be held accountable.”
Prior to reporting that he was assaulted at the Sundance Festival on Saturday night, Orlando-area Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost said the shooting “is what happens when cruelty is normalized and accountability is absent.” He followed up by stating, “ICE is lawless and should not exist.”
Rep. Shelia Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, posted a Washington Post story about the shooting and said it was why she refused to support the DHS funding bill. “Federal agents should not operate in ways that instill fear among the public, killing innocent people,” she said. “Law enforcement must be guided by proper training, clearly defined rules of engagement, and meaningful oversight.”
Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Democrat representing southern Broward and eastern Miami-Dade counties, pointed out that she voted no to increasing funding for ICE. “ICE is unchecked and out of control,” she wrote, “and I won’t write them another blank check without real oversight, transparency, and due process for our community.”
Straddling the partisan line was Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican whose district in Miami-Dade County sites directly below Wilson’s. On Saturday, Salazar posted, “Washington’s failure on immigration is hitting our streets.” She continued, “Minnesota is the result of Washington refusing to fix a broken immigration system and continuing to enforce outdated laws.”
She called for Congress to enact the Dignity Act, a bill she introduced in 2022 with Texas Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar. If enacted, the bill “revamps our immigration system, including ICE enforcement policy, so they don’t need to be out in large-scale operations in our communities,” Salazar wrote.