Politics

Sen. McCormick talks immigration enforcement, shooting death, ICE funding during telephone town hall

The Republican says two investigations are underway into the death of Alex Pretti.

U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

The Republican says two investigations are underway into the death of Alex Pretti.

Two separate investigations are underway into the Saturday shooting death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti at the hands of Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, according to U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA).

During a telephone town hall on Tuesday evening, McCormick said he spoke with senior people in the Department of Homeland Security and was told the probes will be made public in the coming weeks, “which should give us some insight into what happened on the ground in Minneapolis.”

McCormick described the shooting as a tragedy.

“I don’t understand all the facts of where the gun was and all that stuff, but I certainly think that we need to have a full and transparent investigation to make sure that the public knows because it’s really important that our law enforcement not only protects the public, but keeps its confidence,” McCormick said. “That’s the best way our law enforcement is going to be able to do their jobs well.”

Of the 11 calls McCormick fielded on Tuesday evening, five of them were related to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding and law enforcement. Four callers argued against funding ICE. One, however, asked McCormick what can be done to ensure support for law enforcement.