The fatal shooting of a 37-year-old man by a federal agent in Minneapolis has set off alarm bells among Republicans, fueling worries within the party about a potential backlash to violent tactics by the Trump administration in its immigration crackdown.
Some Republicans came forward on Sunday to vigorously defend the administration and place blame for the death of the man, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen, on forces on the left who oppose President Trump’s immigration policies. But many party leaders stayed silent, and some G.O.P. lawmakers both in the center and on the hard right raised grave concerns, suggesting a rare moment of dissent over a killing carried out in broad daylight and recorded by bystanders.
Senator Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who is facing a primary challenger backed by Mr. Trump, called for a “full joint federal and state investigation” into the fatal shooting of Mr. Pretti, in a statement that called his death “incredibly disturbing.”
“The credibility of ICE and D.H.S. are at stake,” Mr. Cassidy said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security. “There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”
Representative Andrew Garbarino of New York, the Republican chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement on Saturday night that he had requested testimony from the heads of ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Even Representative James Comer of Kentucky, a staunch ally of the president’s, appeared to concede that federal agents were killing innocent people in the immigration crackdown, as he suggested on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that Mr. Trump should consider removing ICE agents from Minneapolis and sending them elsewhere.
“If the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way, and there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide, ‘Do we want to continue to have all of these illegals?’” said Mr. Comer, the chairman of the Oversight Committee.
Their reactions reflected a current of discontent among at least some Republicans about the bare-knuckled tactics of Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown. They are unlikely to signal a sea change in a party that is firmly in the president’s grip, but could indicate a political red flag for the G.O.P. as it fights to maintain control of Congress in midterm elections in November.
A poll from The New York Times and Siena University conducted this month showed that roughly half of voters supported Mr. Trump’s deportations and his handling of the border with Mexico, but that a sizable majority — 61 percent — believed that ICE’s tactics had gone too far.
“The death of Americans — what we’re seeing on TV — it’s causing deep concerns over federal tactics and accountability,” Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, a Republican, told CNN on Sunday. “Americans don’t like what they’re seeing right now.” He said that there was broad agreement with Mr. Trump’s emphasis on sealing the border, but that “he’s getting bad advice right now.”
“We have to enforce federal laws, but we need to know what is the end game,” Mr. Stitt added.
Prominent gun rights groups who count conservative Republicans among their members also raised concern about the shooting, as did former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who wrote in a lengthy social media post that the right would be outraged if federal agents under the Biden administration had done to a “MAGA supporter” what was done to Mr. Pretti in Minneapolis.
Neither Speaker Mike Johnson nor Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, had commented on the shooting as of midday Sunday.
And some Republicans were digging in, suggesting that the shooting was a tragic but inevitable outcome in a city that declines to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, described the episode as a “tragic shooting in Minnesota where Border Patrol agents used deadly force against an armed protester trying to impede a lawful arrest.”
“It is a direct result of the heated rhetoric and over-the-top reaction toward ICE, who are simply trying to enforce the law in sanctuary cities,” Mr. Graham said. “You have every right to protest and you have every right to disagree with President Trump. No one has the right to impede law enforcement officers carrying out their duties.”
(His account of the shooting was not supported by video of the events.)
But others, including some Republicans from politically safe districts, said they wanted an investigation into the killing and said they were upset by the videos widely circulating that showed that Mr. Pretti was restrained and disarmed before agents fired multiple shots into his back.
Representative Michael Baumgartner, Republican of Washington, said in a statement that he was “disturbed by what I’ve seen from today’s video from Minnesota.”
“It’s critically important that the American people and Congress be given a better understanding of how immigration enforcement is being handled,” Mr. Baumgartner wrote on social media, “including the methods federal law enforcement officers are using to prioritize, identify and arrest suspected targets, the training they are receiving, the implementation of body cameras, the threats they face in conducting operations and the challenges posed by sanctuary cities and states.”
While Mr. Garbarino, the New York Republican who is chairman of the homeland security panel, did not mention Minneapolis in his statement, he said: “I take my oversight duties for the department seriously, and Congress has an important responsibility to ensure the safety of law enforcement and the people they serve and protect.”
Mr. Cassidy’s call for a joint investigation, which came as he is fighting for his political career amid accusations that he has been insufficiently supportive of Mr. Trump, were a break with the Trump administration’s approach. Federal officials had said the Department of Homeland Security would lead the investigation into the shooting and initially blocked Minnesota authorities from examining the scene of the shooting, according to a state official.
Other Republicans who are not seeking re-election, including Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, also endorsed a fuller investigation.
Some conservatives expressed alarm about the administration’s attempts to justify the shooting by noting that Mr. Pretti, who had a license for a concealed firearm, was carrying a pistol when he was killed.
“Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right, and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government,” Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky and a libertarian who often clashes with Mr. Trump, wrote on social media.
Democrats in Congress have expressed outrage about the shooting and quickly said they could not support a spending deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Senator Angus King, independent of Maine, told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that he “hates” government shutdowns but that he might be forced to back one this week. Mr. King in November was one of eight senators in the Democratic caucus who broke their party’s blockade and voted with Republicans to advance legislation to end the government shutdown.
“I can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under these circumstances,” Mr. King said.
Greg Jaffe contributed reporting.
Catie Edmondson covers Congress for The Times.
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