William Henry :
In a powerful call for justice and reform, U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks and Grace Meng stood alongside Queens Borough President Donovan Richards at Borough Hall on January 29 to demand accountability following two fatal shootings involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
The press conference came in response to the deaths of Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE agent during a traffic stop on January 7, and Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by CBP agents while assisting a protester on January 24. Both incidents have sparked national outrage, especially as video footage contradicts elements of official accounts.
Standing before community members and faith leaders, Meeks condemned the “brutality unleashed” by current immigration enforcement policies. “We are negotiating and working on something to stop the madness,” he said, calling for the defunding of ICE unless clear guardrails are put in place, including body camera mandates, judicial warrant requirements, and an end to the use of masks by agents.
Meng described the shootings as “shocking and sickening”, asserting that residents in Queens continue to live in fear. “If anything in this country demands accountability right now, it is the actions of these ICE agents,” she said, vowing to use every tool available to ensure justice for those impacted.
Richards delivered the most impassioned remarks, calling ICE the “American Taliban” and demanding the agency’s abolition. “You can’t fix what they’re doing,” he declared. “As long as masked agents of Donald Trump’s Gestapo are roaming our streets, kidnapping our neighbors and killing our people, no one from Minnesota to Queens is safe.”
He emphasized the fear immigrant families feel in Queens, saying some are too scared to send their children to school or seek medical care. “Queens might not look occupied like Minneapolis, but the mental and emotional scars our families bear are just the same.”
The leaders joined a growing chorus of Democrats who have called for Department of Homeland Security reforms. Congress recently removed DHS funding from a new spending package, with current funding extended only for two weeks as negotiations continue.
As public scrutiny intensifies, officials insist that independent investigations must be launched and that ICE cannot continue to operate without oversight.
“This can’t be swept under the rug,” Meeks said. “ICE, in its current form, cannot exist.”
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