As federal immigration officials face further scrutiny after the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, some New Jersey Republicans are calling for a calmer path forward, sparking contentions between moderate and Trump-aligned branches of the party.
Customs and Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last Saturday, a few weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent shot and killed Renée Good in the same city. The Trump administration has defended the killings, saying both posed an imminent threat to immigration officers, but Democrats and other critics said the killings were the result of unnecessarily aggressive immigration enforcement in Minneapolis.
State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-River Vale) took to Facebook to call for an independent, bipartisan congressional investigation into the shootings.
“Now is the time to set aside partisan politics and conduct a meticulous, unbiased investigation into the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, with subsequent action based on the investigation’s findings,” Schepisi wrote. “The growing violence is causing irreparable harm to our country, and it is essential that we transcend party affiliations and prioritize the nation’s best interests.”
Schepisi represents the 39th legislative district, which leans toward Republicans. She won her 2023 state Senate election by nearly 10 points, but Republican Jack Ciattarelli won the district by less than a point in last fall’s gubernatorial election. In a political environment that heavily favors Democrats, her seat could be in play. But her comments could also put her at risk of a primary challenge.
Schepisi’s North Jersey rivals, including Frank Pallotta, who unsuccessfully challenged one of her districtmates in an Assembly primary last year, criticized her comments in a separate post. Pallotta and others accused her of not backing law enforcement, charges she rejected, and said she was appeasing Democrats.
“Her call for a ‘bipartisan Congressional investigation’ is just another example,” Pallotta wrote. “Instead of showing backbone, she’s desperate to look moderate and keep her seat, even if it means throwing her own base under the bus. We already have a justice system for situations like this — dragging Congress into it just fans the flames and gives the left exactly what they want.”
Schepisi said she does not worry about a primary challenge, and that she believes speaking out is her obligation.
“I have watched our party suffer as a result of people not willing to speak out,” Schepisi said. “And the way I view it, as an elected official, I have an obligation from the day I am elected to represent all the people in my district, and to do it soundly and justly and fairly, including those people who have not voted for me.
Homeland Security Investigations, an arm of ICE, is set to conduct the investigation, a move that’s worried former DHS officials and Democrats. Local officials have been cut out of the investigation, and critics say a DHS-led investigation could lack the required independence. President Donald Trump said he wants an “honorable and honest investigation.”
Though many haven’t publicly discussed the issue, Schepisi isn’t the only New Jersey Republican to call for an open investigation. State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield), who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor last year as a moderate, made a similar push.
“It is extremely important that both state and federal officials investigate the shooting in Minneapolis,” Bramnick said in a social media post. “The federal government should not prohibit State law enforcement from reviewing all the evidence. Americans expect a complete review[,] not conclusions minutes after the event.”
A growing number of congressional Republicans have similarly called for a deeper investigation, including several U.S. senators. (New Jersey Democrats face their own challenges, as many continue to push immigration-related legislation vetoed by former Gov. Phil Murphy, legislation that Schepisi voted against.)
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Pretti of brandishing a gun and committing “domestic terrorism.” But videos show otherwise, and an internal review of the shooting does not accuse Pretti of attacking officers or threatening them with a weapon.
Video of the shooting shows that Pretti, holding a phone, stepped between Border Patrol agents and another demonstrator after an agent shoved the woman. A group of agents wrestled Pretti to the ground, appearing to pin him to the ground. An agent removed a gun from Pretti’s waist holster — a gun for which Pretti had a legal permit — and agents yelled that he had a gun. Moments later, an agent appears to shoot Pretti in the back from close range, and Pretti falls after firing a couple more shots. Another agent begins to fire at Pretti, who has at that point collapsed, for a total of 10 shots.
Top officials from ICE and Border Patrol will testify before Congress next month.
Schepisi said that if Trump officials and immigration agents were confident in their response, they should not fear a thorough investigation. And she said that without such an investigation, the Republican Party would lose credibility with voters.
“I think my party, rightly or wrongly, is currently viewed as the bad guy in this climate,” Schepisi told the New Jersey Globe. “And for the sake of my party that I’ve been raised in, that I’ve fought for, if we don’t start engaging and having those tough discussions, I fear we will never have the opportunity to be able to win and thrive and be a party that people want to be part of.”