'Deep distress'

Tense video footage showing the final moments of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis after he was fatally shot 10 times by two US Border Patrol officers on Jan 24 has sparked widespread anger among Democratic Party politicians and members of the public, placing ICE's aggressive tactics under scrutiny.

Pretti's death came just three weeks after another US citizen, 37-year-old mother-of-three Renee Good, was shot dead in her SUV by an ICE agent.

Good's brothers Luke and Brett Ganger spoke at a hearing held Tuesday by congressional Democrats to highlight use-of-force incidents by officers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as they arrest and deport immigrants.

"The deep distress our family feels because of Renee's loss in such a violent and unnecessary way is complicated by feelings of disbelief, distress and desperation for change," her brother, Luke Ganger told lawmakers.

In the wake of Good's shootings, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem unequivocally supported the federal agent, adding she had been shot in response to "an act of domestic terrorism".

Pretti, 37, who was videoing agents on his cellphone and defending a woman who was knocked to the ground by federal agents before he was killed, was branded a "would-be assassin" in the hours after his death by Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security adviser.

The deaths came as President Donald Trump continues to pursue an aggressive deportation strategy during his second term in office. A pledge backed by the millions of Americans who voted for him in November 2024.

But while most of his supporters and those on the right back suspected gang members and illegal migrants being rounded up and deported, many have been dismayed by the agents' aggression toward US citizens, legal experts said.