By Diyar Guldogan
WASHINGTON (AA) - US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries weighed in Monday on the growing unrest in the state of Minnesota over federal immigration enforcement actions, calling for tighter standards on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and accountability.
Jeffries told reporters that Democrats will continue pushing to address systemic issues, including the cost of living, saying Republican economic policies have failed.
He framed recent federal actions — particularly by ICE — as part of a larger debate over law enforcement conduct and taxpayer priorities.
"Taxpayer dollars should not be spent to brutalize and kill American citizens. Taxpayer dollars should be spent to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, something that Republicans have refused to do," he said.
His remarks came amid protests against ICE operations and shootings by federal immigration agents that have taken place for more than a month across the state. Demonstrations escalated following the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, by immigration officers on Jan. 24 and the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three.
Stressing that nobody is above the law, Jeffries said if someone breaks the law, that person should be accountable.
"ICE officers should be held to the same standards of every other member of law enforcement in the country
"ICE needs to be reined in. They're out of control. They need to be brought to heel," he said.