Colorado’s U.S. House delegation voted along party lines on a Department of Homeland Security funding bill two days before Saturday’s shooting death of a 37-year-old Minnesota man by immigration authorities, an incident that has complicated the bill’s prospects for passage in the U.S. Senate.
The state’s two senators, John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, had said before the shooting that they were opposed to the bill, echoing the stance of Colorado’s four Democratic representatives. Since the fatal shooting Saturday of Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse, by a U.S. Border Patrol officer, Hickenlooper and Bennet have affirmed their stances.
“This violence is wreaking havoc on our communities and it must stop,” Bennet posted on X on Saturday, a day before he joined a protest in Denver on Sunday. “The President needs to remove these federal agents from our cities now. (Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi Noem must resign and the dehumanizing policies must end immediately.”
“ICE is out of control,” Hickenlooper posted on X. “Killing people, separating families, and terrorizing our communities. I’m a NO on the DHS funding bill.”
The incident does not appear to have changed any of the House members’ stances on the Homeland Security measure, which is among a dozen bills facing a Friday deadline to pass to avert another partial government shutdown. The bills approve most government spending through the current budget year.
The state’s Democratic members condemned the Pretti shooting, while some of the Republican members haven’t made public statements. Nationally, some Republicans and conservatives have spoken out against Trump administration officials’ assertions that Pretti, who had a concealed-carry permit, shouldn’t have brought a gun to a protest of immigration enforcement.
Late Monday morning, U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction Republican, said in a statement posted on X that the shooting “is a serious incident that warrants a full, independent, and transparent investigation before conclusions are drawn.”
“At moments like this, restraint and sober judgment matter,” he added. “People have a constitutional right to peacefully assemble and express their views, and to exercise their individual Second Amendment rights. Federal, state, and local law enforcement share a responsibility to work cooperatively to enforce the law, maintain public safety, and protect constitutional rights. Those principles should guide our response as the facts are established.”
U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans’ spokeswoman over the weekend said the Republican supports a “thorough investigation.”
The House passed the Homeland Security funding measure Thursday in a 220-207 vote, mostly along party lines. A broader package, which funds a 3.8% pay raise for the military, passed in a 341-88 vote.
In the Senate, which is set to return to session Tuesday, Republicans will need some Democratic support to pass the remaining spending bills in time to avoid a partial shutdown.
How they voted
Here’s how the state’s U.S. House delegation voted on the Homeland Security funding bill on Thursday, by congressional district:
- Diana DeGette (1), D-Denver: No
- Joe Neguse (2), D-Lafayette: No
- Jeff Hurd (3), R-Grand Junction: Yes
- Lauren Boebert (4), R-Windsor: Yes
- Jeff Crank (5), R-Colorado Springs: Yes
- Jason Crow (6), D-Aurora: No
- Brittany Pettersen (7), D-Lakewood: No
- Gabe Evans (8), R-Fort Lupton: Yes
Public affairs editor Jon Murray and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
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