Gov. Janet Mills demanded that President Trump withdraw ICE agents from Maine after federal law enforcement officials on Saturday fatally shot a Minnesota nurse.
Mills, a Democrat, called for an in-person meeting with Trump after a 37-year-old man was killed by federal officers in Minneapolis, which has seen widespread protests since the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good.
About 100 people have been detained in Maine by ICE as of Friday as part of Trump’s immigration enforcement surge targeting the “worst of the worst” criminals, which has also netted people with work permits and no criminal records
“As governor, I am requesting that the president of the United States meet with me so that I can demand in person that his administration withdraw these untrained and reckless ICE agents in Maine and across the country who are stoking fear in communities, arresting legally present people, including law enforcement officials, and who pose a grave threat to public safety.”
In a statement, Mills called on Congress to rein in ICE and demand that United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testify.
“I am appalled and heartbroken by reports of yet another killing at the hands of federal immigration agents,” Mills said. “President Trump and Secretary Noem’s weaponization of federal law enforcement against the people they are meant to serve is not only a grave violation of the Constitution, but a threat to the lives of law-abiding people in the cities and states they seek to occupy, including Maine.”
The man shot Saturday was identified as an intensive care unit nurse named Alex Pretti, the AP reported.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that federal officers fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him.
Local police believe the man was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
Pretti is seen with a phone in his hand in several bystander videos but none appear to show a weapon.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report