The head of the U.S. agency responsible for immigration testified before Congress on Tuesday after two fatal shootings of federal officers in Minneapolis, fueling growing pressure against President Donald Trump’s massive crackdown.
After the Minneapolis massacre, Trump acknowledged that a “softer approach” on immigration may be needed and his administration announced concessions, including withdrawing hundreds of officers from the Midwestern city.
But the issue remains far from resolved, with Democrats demanding changes to how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducts immigration clearances and threatening to block its funding, while the Trump administration vows to maintain its deportation efforts.
“The president tasked us with conducting mass deportations, and we are fulfilling that mandate,” Todd Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said during Tuesday’s hearing.
“Thanks to the resources provided by Congress, we are increasing detention (capacity) and deportation flights every day. Last year alone, we conducted more than 475,000 deportations,” Lyons said.
He testified during a Department of Homeland Security oversight hearing alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Rodney Scott and Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow.
Scott praised efforts at the U.S. southern border, saying U.S. Customs and Border Protection “spent the last year rebuilding a border that was intentionally breached” and that “the United States… enjoys the most secure border in our nation’s history.”
-“Incomplete and inadequate”-
After opening remarks, Trump administration officials faced a series of tough questions from Democratic lawmakers over the massive crackdown on immigration in several U.S. cities, most notably Minneapolis.
Thousands of federal agents have conducted raids there in recent weeks in what the government says is a targeted operation targeting criminals. The crackdown has resulted in the detention of large numbers of immigrants and sometimes citizens.
The actions sparked massive protests in the city, where the shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti less than three weeks apart last month triggered a wave of anger.
When Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell asked Lyons on Tuesday if he would apologize to the Trump administration’s initial characterization of Goode and Pretty’s families as domestic terrorists, he declined and said he would not comment on ongoing investigations.
Opposition Democrats have been calling for sweeping changes to ICE operations, including ending mobile patrols, banning agents from hiding their faces and requiring search warrants.
Congressional Democratic leaders also threatened to block the 2026 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. The White House has signaled a willingness to negotiate, but its responses so far have failed to satisfy opposition lawmakers.
“Republicans shared the outline of a counterproposal that includes neither details nor legislative text,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.
They condemned the White House’s response as “incomplete and insufficient to address Americans’ concerns about ICE wrongdoing” and said they were awaiting further details.
If negotiations fail, the Department of Homeland Security could face a funding shortfall starting Saturday. CBP and ICE operations are likely to continue using funds approved by Congress last year, but other agencies such as the federal disaster agency FEMA may be affected.
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