Paul demands an apology from ICE chief for families of Minneapolis victims, warns of showdown

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Rand Paul is making it clear that he expects accountability when acting ICE Director Todd Lyons appears before the Senate tomorrow.

Ahead of Thursday’s Senate hearing, Paul said Lyons should directly apologize to the families of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, the two Minneapolis residents who were shot and killed last month during encounters with federal immigration agents.

Speaking on CBS Mornings on Wednesday, Feb 11, Paul suggested he would challenge Lyons if the director again declines to express regret, as he did during a recent House hearing.

Rand Paul demands apology

When asked by CBS's Vladimir Duthiers whether he would press the issue during the hearing, Paul didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely,” he said, criticizing what he described as inconsistent messaging from administration officials. According to Paul, several officials publicly weighed in on the shootings almost immediately, despite later citing the ongoing investigation as a reason to avoid comment.

“They were drawing conclusions within hours,” Paul noted, arguing that the government cannot claim restraint now after speaking so quickly in the aftermath.

Paul said the contrast between early definitive statements and later reluctance to comment has fueled public skepticism.

“Now weeks later, after people have seen the video, the answer is ‘we won’t draw conclusions,’” he said, suggesting that officials should have exercised greater caution from the beginning.

The controversy had intensified after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly stated that Alex Pretti had brandished a firearm during his encounter with agents.

Although Pretti was armed, subsequent video footage complicated that narrative and raised further questions about how the incident unfolded.

Rand Paul cites erosion of public confidence

Beyond the individual cases, Paul argued that the broader issue is trust. He said Americans are increasingly uncertain about what standards immigration agents are following and whether appropriate escalation procedures are in place.

In his view, acknowledging mistakes, if mistakes were made, would be a meaningful step toward restoring credibility.

Paul said, “They need to be more judicious and they need to be more fair-minded in their thinking, because no one in the public seeing those videos is believing what they’re saying.”

The Senate hearing is expected to revisit the facts of the shootings, the administration’s public response, and oversight of federal immigration enforcement practices moving forward.

On Tuesday, acting ICE Director Todd Lyon refused to apologize for the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. He had also declined to answer if Pretti and Good were domestic ter**rists citing ongoing investigations.

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