Sen. Warren urges lawmakers to ‘vote hell no’ on ICE funding

0:00Support for this podcast comes from Nature is the Solution, a podcast from the Nature Conservancy. This show tells climate stories like a stubborn optimist, because hope, innovation, and nature itself are key to solving the challenges ahead. Follow on your favorite podcast app. WBUR Podcasts, Boston. May we never forget and always remember our brothers and sisters who have served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom. The words of Alex Freddie, a nurse who tended to veterans and was shot dead in the street by immigration agents.

0:50It's Monday, January 26th, and this is Here and Now, Anytime from NPR and WBR. I'm Chris Bentley. Today on the show, Senator Elizabeth Warren says Democrats will oppose more funding for ICE after immigration agents killed a second person in Minneapolis over the weekend. There have to be restraints on ICE. They can't just come in to our communities, terrorize people, and make people less safe because they are there. It's time for some real constraints and time for some real accountability. Also, the Episcopal Bishop of D.C., who last year told the president to have mercy on immigrants, stands in solidarity with other clergy bearing witness in Minnesota.

1:36Thousands of Minnesotans are choosing to respond to what seems to be a deliberate policy of fear and violence with incredible acts of neighborly love. Those acts of neighborly love in the Twin Cities include people attending vigils, getting together block by block to support one another, and trying to carry on with normal life after a second killing by immigration agents there in less than three weeks. Governor Tim Walz activated 1 ,500 National Guard troops to support local authorities who say they've been blocked from investigating the shooting, as they say they were after an ICE agent killed Renee Macklin-Good just a little over a mile away earlier this month.

2:20There are legal actions in progress as well to try to kick ICE and Border Patrol out of Minnesota. And there is outrage across the country after federal officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, tried to brand the man shot dead on Saturday, a domestic terrorist, and launched what his friends and family have called a smear campaign. Alex Preddy was a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a local veterans hospital. His parents released a statement accusing the administration of spreading sickening lies and said, please get the truth out about our son. In this video from 2024, Preddy is speaking over the body of Terrence Randolph, an Air Force veteran under his care.

3:05Today we remember that freedom is not free. We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it, and even sacrifice for it. May we never forget and always remember our brothers and sisters who have served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom. Minnesota Public Radio's Brian Baxt joined us from St. Paul around noon Eastern today. He spoke to Robin Young. Yeah, this was in the Whittier neighborhood of South Minneapolis, and Alex Freddie was among those who have been keeping an eye on immigration operations And as agents approached a fellow observer and shoved that observer, Alex Preddy went over to lend a hand.

3:40And he was also caught up in it. He held his hand up and his phone as he was being sprayed. Then the group was tackled, and we saw several officers, seven or eight of them, join in. And shortly after, he was shot. Well, and one of those officers is beating him with a steel canister of the spray, which he'd been sprayed with. Another emerges from the scrum of officials with Freddie's gun taken from his holster. And then he's shot several times. Just what's the mood in the area? Things are tense. People are angry. People are frustrated by this immigration operation that seems to have no end. The president finally spoke today with Governor Tim Walz by phone.

4:23They've been trading insults in public. There's just a lot of angst about this ongoing siege that the city has been under. Yeah. Well, a federal judge has been hearing arguments after Minnesota and the Twin Cities sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month. This is after Renee Macklin Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer. What might the outcome be today? What are the choices? That's a good question. The state would like the judge to order that the ICE operation come to an end, arguing that Minnesota's sovereign rights as a state have been violated because it has been subject to this immigration operation, which has cost it money in having police overtime.

5:02Children have not gone to school in some places. Federal officials are arguing that they have the right to carry out immigration operations. Expect the judge to rule rather quickly, whether that's today or in the days to come, is still unclear. Well, we know border czar Tom Homan is headed to the state or has arrived. Is there expectation that one or another leader of the agents on the ground will be moved out? You know, Border Control Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino made incendiary to many comments on Sunday, placing the blame for the shooting death fully on Alex Preddy. If that's going to happen, we haven't heard that yet.

5:39We do know that there have been increasing number of Republicans here in Minnesota and nationally who have become frustrated with how this operation has been carried out and have been asking the administration to change course. We also know that Michelle Martin, NPR's Morning Edition host, spoke with Bob Jacobson, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. He said they're shut out of the investigation. Let's listen. You know, in the past, we've been able to cooperate with federal law enforcement. These shooting investigations and serious crime investigations, violent crime, we have a history of working together with federal law enforcement.

6:15And unfortunately, that seems to have changed. What are the thoughts on the ground about that? Yeah, it's rather extraordinary to hear the head of the Bureau of Criminal Opprehension, a very mild-mannered official go before cameras over the weekend to say that they even went in with a warrant to try to search that scene and were turned away. He's been frustrated by it. It follows also the Renee Macklin Good shooting where the state was shut out of that investigation, and they have not gotten participation from the federal government on a third shooting that was non-fatal. So they've been jousting in public over how to go forward, but there are parallel investigations at this point.

6:53Yeah. Minnesota Public Radio's Brian Baxed talking about the outpouring of grief and outrage over Petty's death. But you also mentioned it comes from both sides of the aisle. And we should mention that we saw a Republican candidate for governor drop his bid citing ICE's actions. And so we're going to be following all of this. Brian Baxed, thank you so much. You're welcome.

7:22Last week, several Democrats in the House of Representatives joined Republicans to back a bill providing$10 billion of funding for ICE. That bill seemed likely to pass the Senate, too, until Saturday. And now Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats will not vote for any spending bill that includes that funding, setting up a potential partial government shutdown at the end of the week. Robin has more after this break.

7:52Thank you.

8:22your lifestyle, and your budget. And they work for you for free. Get the right life insurance for you and save more than 50 % at selectquote.com slash anytime. That's 50 % off at selectquote.com slash anytime. Well, the killing of Alex Petty is first and foremost tragic, but it also may lead to a partial government shutdown this week. The ICE budget comes up for a vote in the Senate as part of a larger spending package, Democrats say ICE should not receive any more money unless changes are made. Without its passage, though, the federal government runs out of money at midnight on Friday. Some Republicans aim to blame Democrats.

9:01Senator Elizabeth Warren joins us now. She's the Democrat from Massachusetts. And Senator, first of all, what do you make of the videos surfacing and how they conflict with what Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, said over the weekend about the shooting? You know, really what Kristi Noem and others in the Trump administration are trying to do is to get us to believe some tale they want to tell rather than our own eyes. We take a look and sure, there are a lot of different angles, but we saw someone who was lying on the ground who was shot by a federal officer.

9:41And that means at the barest minimum that ICE is out of control. They are putting people at risk. They think they act with impunity. And it is absolutely essential that the people involved in this shooting are held accountable and that there be a full, independent, fair investigation of what has happened. Right now, the United States Senate has a chance to weigh in on that and to make sure that that happens. And that's what we'll start doing tomorrow. OK, we want to get to that. But I also said that some Republicans are going to aim to blame you and Democrats if, in fact, there is a government shutdown.

10:26We should say a handful of Republicans are calling for hearings and investigations into what's happening in Minneapolis. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy called the events there incredibly disturbing. James Comer, head of the House Oversight Committee, told Fox News that President Trump should consider removing agents from Minneapolis. The situation is only going to get worse. And I really think that there are so many cities in the United States that have issues with criminal illegals that I think there would be they would be better received in other cities. And I hope that's something they're talking about doing right now.

10:58And President Trump did tell The Wall Street Journal yesterday agents will leave at some point. while at the same time praising what he called a phenomenal job the agents are doing. So just brief before we move on to the funding, do you believe that there will possibly be a congressional investigation? We hear people in the state of Minnesota saying they can't even do a state investigation. You know, I just want to be clear for every Republican who says that they are disturbed. Disturbed doesn't get the job done. It is time for Congress to step up. And right now, the United States Senate has the power to say that ICE funding will be limited.

11:40It will be stopped until we get some constraints on ICE and until we get, if we have to, get it written into law that there will be an independent investigation in which the federal government is required to fully participate and to make all of the evidence and all of the information that it's got available to the investigators. We have the power to do that. We just have to pick it up and use it. Quick question, one of practical one. If you block ICE funding, isn't it true that a lot of this money has already been dispersed and the operations will continue? So one problem we've got with ICE and one reason that ICE feels like it can act with complete impunity and that there's nothing Congress can do to it, is that all of the Republicans and Donald Trump back in the summer in that one big, beautiful bill basically pre-funded ICE for about three years.

12:40So right now, it's true. ICE is rolling in the dough. And, you know, they can just flip off Congress. But the reality is Congress has the power to say we're taking that money back. We can pull it back. What we need to make clear is there have to be restraints on ICE. They can't just come in to our communities, terrorize people and make people less safe because they are there. It's time for some real constraints and time for some real accountability. Do you have concerns that this becomes the rallying cry to defund ICE? The rallying cry after the George Floyd killing to defund the police had real blowback for Democrats.

13:25But the way I see it right now is in the short run, we've got to keep the focus on the violence and on accountability because we've got to focus on making our communities safer. In the long run, look, I think we need to tear ice down to the studs. It is time to get an organization that does our custom and border control and that does our immigration enforcement, that has some meaningful accountability in place, that has clear rules that they do things like follow the Constitution of the United States, that they are an accountable agency, accountable to the people of the United States. Very briefly, Senator Warren, do you think there will be a shutdown at the end of the week?

14:17Well, that's up to the Republicans. Right now, what the Democrats are saying is, look, there are 12 funding bills in total. Six have already passed. So that part of the government stays open no matter what. We are, Democrats, are willing to give the votes to pass five more of those bills. But the one bill, Homeland Security, that contains ICE is one that we've got to sit down and agree to put some constraints on ICE before this goes through. And it has to be meaningful constraints with real accountability. Otherwise, we can't just keep shoveling money in these people. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat from Massachusetts.

14:57Thank you. Thank you.

15:04We've got one more conversation for you today. When we return, Scott Tong speaks with the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, D.C., a former Minnipolitan herself, about what she saw when she returned to Minnesota to stand with other clergy members against ICE. Stick around.

15:30Joining us now is the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, D.C., the Right Reverend Marianne Edgar-Buddy. Last year, she spoke directly to President Trump from the pulpit at the National Cathedral, imploring him to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now. Last week, she went to the Twin Cities with other faith leaders to oppose the administration's deportation work. Bishop Marianne, thank you for joining us. Thank you for the invitation, Scott. You were in Minneapolis a couple days ago. You spent 18 years there as a parish priest, raised your family there. What are you thinking right now?

16:08Well, first of all, I was on the receiving end for weeks from friends, family members, colleagues saying, no matter what you're seeing and hearing on the news, it cannot convey the depth of fear that we are experiencing. And so when the call came for us to stand in solidarity, it was the easiest decision to make. And I came away filled with awe and admiration for the ways that thousands of Minnesotans are choosing to respond to what seems to be a deliberate corporate policy of fear and violence with incredible acts of neighborly love. And I wanted to say you're not alone. And this is a national conversation that we need to have about what the federal government is doing under the auspices of its immigration policies.

16:59We have seen the videos from Saturday, the ICU nurse shot and killed in the neighborhood of Minneapolis, you surely know. For many in this country, there is a fury, a despair for those Americans with those emotions that they may not even have words for. What words do you have for them? Oh, well, first of all, those emotions are completely understandable. And yet it is so important that we learn to channel our strongest emotions into acts of kindness and love. One of the great lies of a moment like this is that we can't do anything. And the fact is we all have all manner of ways, large and small, to respond.

17:42I would recommend to any of us to start locally and to see what we can do to be good neighbors in our community. Whatever economic resources we can direct toward organizations that are doing good work or supporting local businesses. We certainly have political power. We can speak up. We have the right for peaceful protest and assembly. It's important for us to understand what constitutional rights are being violated by our own federal government. I want to ask about the role of faith leaders in this moment. This month, your colleague, the Bishop of New Hampshire, Rob Hirschfeld, spoke at a vigil for Renee Good after she was shot and killed by an ex-agent in Minneapolis.

18:26And he called on clergy members to prepare for what he called the new era of martyrdom. Let's listen. And I've asked them to get their affairs in order, to make sure they have their wills written, because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable. Oh my goodness. How do you respond to hearing that? Well, I know Bishop Firstfield, he's a good friend and colleague, and we were together right before he made that statement. And I think what he was trying to say in a very dramatic way is that as people of faith, we are always called to take our stand among the most vulnerable.

19:15And what's happening in this country now is a sober recognition that there's no guarantee of safety when we do that. He's not advocating martyrdom. None of us are. We want our people to be safe. But he's simply acknowledging that there are times when in an act of solidarity, it is possible to get swept up in the moment of violence. No one plans to be a martyr. Renee Goode didn't plan to be killed. Alex Petri didn't plan to be killed. They were acting out of compassion and being where they were, and it happened. Last January, many Americans remember, it was the day after the inauguration, and you gave a sermon at the prayer service at the National Cathedral and spoke directly to the president in the front row, asking him to have mercy on people who are scared right now.

20:08You went on to say the people who pick our crops, work the night shifts in our hospitals, may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. You took heat for that from some of the presidents, Alice. And I just wonder, when you speak directly against the actions of an administration, a president, do you think about the costs of those words, too? Yes, of course. But I also think about the cost of not speaking up and of all the people that are wondering if anyone will speak for them. And at that moment, people that I knew and loved were being described in the most dehumanizing of terms.

20:51And I wanted simply to bring their humanity into that public space. And I would simply say to the same administration now that contempt and division is a very dangerous way to lead a country and that we have far more in common that unites rather than divides us. And that part of America is standing up and speaking out now to preserve and to protect what we love most about this country. That's the right, Reverend Marianne Buddy, Episcopal Bishop of Washington, D.C. Bishop Marianne, thank you very much. Thank you, Scott, and thank you for all that you do.

21:34The bishop is certainly not alone in her stance. On Friday, dozens of clergy members in the Twin Cities were arrested at a sit-in at the Minneapolis airport, where they were calling on airlines, like Delta, to quote, stand with Minnesotans and calling for ICE to immediately end its surge in the state. Follow Here and Now anytime as we continue to bring you the news and perspectives from Minneapolis and far beyond every weekday of the year. Thanks. That's it for today. Here and Now anytime comes from NPR and WBUR Boston. Today's stories were produced by Jill Ryan, Lynn Mennegan, Thomas Danielian, and Julia Corcoran.

22:11Our editors were Todd Bunt and Michael Scotto. Technical direction from Caleb Green and Matt Reed. Our theme music is by Mike Moschetto, Max Liebman, and me, Chris Bentley. Our digital producers are Alison Hagen and Grace Griffin. And here and now's executive producer is Alan Bryce. Thanks for listening. We'll be back with you tomorrow.

22:37Thank you.