CONTENT:
Amid escalating tensions and conflicting reports, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer announced Saturday evening that his party will block a funding package next week, potentially triggering another government shutdown, unless $64.4bn for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is removed. The announcement comes after anger toward DHS, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), intensified following the fatal shooting of a US citizen, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis on Saturday morning.
The shooting, which was recorded by multiple witnesses, directly contradicts claims made by senior Trump administration officials that Pretti threatened to "massacre" officers with a gun. New video evidence reviewed by The Guardian shows Pretti, a 37-year-old registered nurse, holding a phone when he was tackled and shot by federal agents.
The Department of Homeland Security released an image of a handgun, which Donald Trump referred to as "the gunman's gun" in a social media post, and Kristi Noem, the DHS secretary, initially stated that Pretti approached US border patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. However, she later declined to confirm whether or not Pretti had pulled the gun out.
Schumer's announcement came as anger toward DHS, which oversees ICE, intensified following the violent restraint and fatal shooting of Pretti. In a statement released Saturday evening, Schumer said, "We cannot allow the funding of a dangerous and ineffective agency like ICE, which has shown time and again that it terrorizes communities and rips families apart, to be held hostage any longer."
The potential for a government shutdown looms as Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over funding for DHS. The current funding expires on February 18, and lawmakers have yet to reach an agreement on a bill to keep the agency operational.
This is not the first time DHS funding has been a contentious issue. In 2018 and 2019, the government shut down for 35 days over a disagreement between Democrats and Republicans over funding for a border wall.
As the situation unfolds, federal authorities continue to investigate the shooting, and the public remains divided over the role of law enforcement agencies like ICE in American communities.
Sources:
"Schumer: Democrats will block funding unless $64.4bn for homeland security removed" The Guardian, 24 Jan 2026 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/24/schumer-democrats-dhs-funding-package
"Video contradicts Trump’s claim man killed in Minneapolis was a ‘gunman’" The Guardian, 24 Jan 2026 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/24/minneapolis-shooting-ice
CONTENT:
Amid escalating tensions and conflicting reports, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer announced Saturday evening that his party will block a funding package next week, potentially triggering another government shutdown, unless $64.4bn for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is removed. The announcement comes after anger toward DHS, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), intensified following the fatal shooting of a US citizen, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis on Saturday morning.
The shooting, which was recorded by multiple witnesses, directly contradicts claims made by senior Trump administration officials that Pretti threatened to "massacre" officers with a gun. New video evidence reviewed by The Guardian shows Pretti, a 37-year-old registered nurse, holding a phone when he was tackled and shot by federal agents.
The Department of Homeland Security released an image of a handgun, which Donald Trump referred to as "the gunman's gun" in a social media post, and Kristi Noem, the DHS secretary, initially stated that Pretti approached US border patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. However, she later declined to confirm whether or not Pretti had pulled the gun out.
Schumer's announcement came as anger toward DHS, which oversees ICE, intensified following the violent restraint and fatal shooting of Pretti. In a statement released Saturday evening, Schumer said, "We cannot allow the funding of a dangerous and ineffective agency like ICE, which has shown time and again that it terrorizes communities and rips families apart, to be held hostage any longer."
The potential for a government shutdown looms as Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over funding for DHS. The current funding expires on February 18, and lawmakers have yet to reach an agreement on a bill to keep the agency operational.
This is not the first time DHS funding has been a contentious issue. In 2018 and 2019, the government shut down for 35 days over a disagreement between Democrats and Republicans over funding for a border wall.
As the situation unfolds, federal authorities continue to investigate the shooting, and the public remains divided over the role of law enforcement agencies like ICE in American communities.
Sources:
"Schumer: Democrats will block funding unless $64.4bn for homeland security removed" The Guardian, 24 Jan 2026 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/24/schumer-democrats-dhs-funding-package
"Video contradicts Trump’s claim man killed in Minneapolis was a ‘gunman’" The Guardian, 24 Jan 2026 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/24/minneapolis-shooting-ice
