The death of Alex Prett, the 37-year-old nurse shot by federal agents on Saturday in Minneapolis while peacefully protesting, has increased the chances of the US Government being forced to shut down again at the end of this month, as it did in October. The reason is that among the legislative package that Congress was planning to approve in the coming days is a provision to increase ICE funding, the immigration agency that has become the main tool of the administration to pursue foreigners.
Especially in Minnesota, where in recent weeks two Americans have died from gunshots and a Venezuelan was shot in the leg. The Democratic Party is warning that they will not approve it under any circumstances, leaving the choice to the Republican majority: withdraw the ICE proposal or go for a new federal 'shutdown.'
The political chaos in the US is absolute, and ICE is in the middle of it all.
The country is shocked by the images, as more and more voices are calling it "murder" or "execution." And by the indefensible position and coldness of the Executive. There is a deep and very heated debate about immigration agencies, their outrageous budget increase (ninefold in the last year), their methods, the lack of preparation of their agents, or the ideology of their leaders. And because they seem to have a blank check to do anything, including killing. "The victims are the Border Patrol agents. I do not blame the Border Patrol agents. The suspect put himself in that situation, they are the victims," defended Gregory Bovino, their field chief, this Sunday.
The Donald Trump administration, despite the numerous videos recorded from every possible angle of what happened on Saturday in the streets of Minneapolis, remains entrenched, claiming without any evidence that Alex Pretti was a "domestic terrorist" who wanted to "cause a massacre" among federal agents. They have closed ranks with the agents who opened fire, just as they did with the one who killed Renée Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, while driving her car. They have concluded, without an investigation, that the Minnesota man was a threat, that the agents feared for their lives, and that what they did was appropriate.
But there is much more. On the same Saturday, amid huge commotion, with the streets filled with protesters at 20 degrees below zero and while Governor Tim Walz activated the National Guard, the country's Attorney General, Pam Bondi, sent him a letter with a series of very striking demands. In a three-page document, full of reproaches for what she considers a lack of cooperation with ICE and for putting agents at risk, Bondi, using Trump's style and language, demands that Walz "restore the Rule of Law, support ICE, and end the chaos in Minnesota." For which, she asks him to hand over "Medicaid records and nutrition and food programs" so that "the Government can investigate fraud."
Bondi also demands that Minnesota abandon sanctuary city policies, where cities refuse to collaborate in anti-immigration tasks. And above all, she asks for "voter registration and census records to verify that their voting practices comply with federal law." State authorities have denounced the blackmail as evidence that the Government's goal with its immigration raids is to create chaos, violence, and confusion to have excuses to continue deploying the military. And all with the ultimate goal of influencing the midterm elections in November, after Trump has lost three times in a row in the State.
Between Saturday afternoon and Sunday, dozens of Democratic senators (and also some of the independents who in November voted to end the previous Executive shutdown) announced that they will not approve any package that includes giving even more resources to ICE, which has become the agency with the most funds in the country. A decade ago, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had a budget of less than $6 billion, much less than the main ones within the Department of Homeland Security. Now it is the first, with $85 billion at its disposal, thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill, the law enacted last July at Trump's behest.
The Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, has stated that they will not support the package of six public spending bills that will be voted on next week if it includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security. And since 60 votes are needed, at least six or seven Democrats would have to align with the Republicans.
In the fall, the Government had to shut down completely and remained on minimal services for weeks before an agreement was reached, after a dozen senators broke ranks due to public discontent. Congress has since approved funding for the entire year 2026 for departments such as Commerce, Justice, or Agriculture, but not for several of the most important ones, such as the Pentagon and national security agencies. Temporary funding for these departments, which represent over 75% of federal discretionary spending, expires at midnight on Friday.
Democrats state they will vote against any additional funding "unless more controls are implemented for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be held accountable," in the words of Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii. "These repeated incidents of violence across the country are illegal, provoke an unnecessary escalation of tension, and make us all feel less safe." A few Republicans, congressmen, senators, or governors, have expressed concern, saying that "Americans are worried" about what they are seeing and criticizing ICE's actions, but they are not expected to lead a debate within the party to force national security to change its protocols.
The quickest option in Congress, in any case, would be to try to separate the National Security bill from the legislation to fund the rest of the Government, as that has more bipartisan support. But breaking down the package would require the House of Representatives, which is scheduled to be in recess until February 2, to return to session to approve the changes. And that would unleash Donald Trump's anger, who on Sunday seemed more concerned about what he sees as China's progressive control of Canada or the delay in the White House renovation works to build a ballroom than what happened in Minnesota. "What is happening there is a criminal cover-up of the massive financial fraud that has been committed!" he wrote on his social media.