A sweeping federal immigration enforcement campaign has ignited a national crisis after two civilians were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis and young children were detained during raids, prompting a rare bipartisan warning from the nation’s governors that the administration’s strategy risks undermining public trust, state authority and constitutional norms.
In a joint statement, National Governors Association Chair Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Vice Chair Wes Moore of Maryland urged federal leaders to “reset strategy toward a unified vision for immigration enforcement,” cautioning that the use of federal power must be transparent, coordinated with states and restrained to avoid “unintended escalation.”
Their warning comes as protests spread across major U.S. cities, Minnesota officials openly clash with federal authorities, and legal scholars and civil-rights organizations raise alarms about due process, the use of force and the detention of children.
The flashpoint has been Minneapolis, where federal immigration agents operating under a large-scale enforcement surge have been involved in two fatal shootings this month.
On January 24, federal agents shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse and U.S. citizen, during an operation in south Minneapolis. Federal officials said an agent fired in self-defense, alleging Pretti approached with a handgun.
But bystander video reviewed by national news organizations shows Pretti holding a cellphone and attempting to assist others before being pepper-sprayed, restrained and shot multiple times — footage that has sharply contradicted the government’s initial account and fueled public outrage.
Earlier this month, Renée Nicole Good, also 37 and a U.S. citizen, was killed by an ICE agent during a separate enforcement action in the city.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has demanded independent investigations and accused federal authorities of limiting the state’s access to evidence. Minneapolis officials have said the operations have destabilized public safety and inflamed tensions rather than easing them.
Daily protests have followed both shootings.
Anger intensified last week after ICE agents detained at least four children during enforcement actions in Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb.
Among them was a five-year-old boy, taken into custody with his father and later transported to a family detention center in Texas despite an active asylum case. School officials and community leaders said agents refused offers from adults to care for the child and described the scene as traumatic for students and staff.
In a separate Minnesota case, a two-year-old girl was also taken into federal custody with her father and flown out of state before being returned to her mother days later. Her father remains detained.
Child-welfare advocates say the incidents revive memories of family-separation policies previously condemned by courts and human-rights groups.
The National Governors Association rarely intervenes directly in active federal enforcement controversies. Its statement — signed by a Republican chair and Democratic vice chair — reflects the breadth of concern among state leaders.
“Clarity of purpose is essential to maintaining public trust, ensuring accountability, and avoiding unintended escalation,” the governors wrote, stressing that federal authority should complement, not replace, state and local law-enforcement efforts.
They called for collaboration, communication and respect between governments to “restore order, protect citizens, and strengthen confidence in democratic institutions.”
Privately, several governors from both parties have complained that federal agencies have launched operations without meaningful consultation with state leaders, leaving local governments to manage the political and public-safety fallout.
Immigration law scholars say the shootings and child detentions raise serious constitutional questions.
“These operations blur the line between immigration enforcement and domestic policing,” one professor told national outlets. “When lethal force is used against citizens and children are taken into custody without clear judicial process, you are no longer talking about routine enforcement — you are talking about a civil-liberties crisis.”
Civil-rights organizations argue that aggressive urban operations undermine due-process protections and chill cooperation between immigrant communities and local police, making cities less safe, not more.
Local police leaders in Minnesota have expressed frustration that federal actions are complicating their work and damaging trust built over years with immigrant communities. Minneapolis police overtime spending has surged as officers respond to protests and crowd control linked to the federal presence.
Federal officials, including Homeland Security leadership, defend the operations as lawful and necessary, citing arrests of people with serious criminal records and arguing that agents acted according to training and protocol.
The administration has accused Democratic officials of politicizing law enforcement and weakening border security.
What began as an immigration enforcement campaign has evolved into a broader confrontation over federal power, civil liberties and the role of states in safeguarding public safety.
Two dead citizens. Children in detention centers. Governors issuing constitutional warnings.
For now, the White House shows no sign of backing down.
But governors from both parties, legal experts, civil-rights advocates and thousands of protesters are signaling that the country may be approaching a breaking point — one where immigration policy is no longer just a matter of border control, but a test of the limits of federal authority itself.
