After federal immigration officers shot Alex Pretti this past Saturday in Minneapolis, Washington's District 1 U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene took to social media.
“This terror needs to stop! ICE is out of control," DelBene wrote on X. "Every American should be outraged by this lawlessness. We need accountability for these shootings and violence in our communities.”
DelBene joined KNKX’s All Things Considered to discuss the latest on immigration enforcement and to look ahead to the 2026 midterms in her role as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Transcript
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KNKX All Things Considered host Emil Moffatt: So immigration is understandably top of mind for many Washingtonians, and watching what's happening in Minneapolis and even some communities around our state. What do you say to Washingtonians concerned about the tactics federal immigration agents are using right now?
U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene: We should all be concerned by the tactics. We should be concerned and horrified by the shootings that took place in Minnesota — Renee Good, Alex Pretti. Lives are lost for no reason. Using a child as bait to detain members of their family. All of these are the types of tactics we've seen. People in masks — people don't even know if they're really federal agents or not. I mean, it's about fear and intimidation across our communities. It's outrageous and it's horrific, and I think the American people across the country are standing up against it.
Moffatt: And you've said you would support the removal of the impeachment of the Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem. Do you think there is enough support in the House for that? And what would you like to see out of a DHS secretary?
DelBene: Well, there have been calls. She needs to be fired. People have — there have been calls across the country for her to step down, be fired. She needs to be removed. She has to be held accountable for what's happened here, and frankly, there needs to be accountability broadly.
Moffatt: At the root cause is really the immigration system in this country, which has been broken for decades and has not served people who want to come here and make a better life for themselves. Do you hear any momentum in the halls of Congress for finally tackling the immigration system and reforming it?
DelBene: We need comprehensive immigration reform. We need to make sure that we have laws in place and we have a broken immigration system. That's been very clear. That's going to take bipartisan cooperation in Congress to make that happen. In fact, when I first came to Congress, that 2014 Congress, we proposed bipartisan immigration legislation, and yet we weren't allowed to vote on it on the floor. Something passed the Senate. It never came to the floor of the house. Republicans didn't want to have to vote on it.
Moffatt: And as we look ahead to November — you're the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Both Democrats and Republicans, at least at the congressional level, seem to be about to run on the issue of affordability. So if we think about things that are costing a lot of money right now, we think of grocery prices, we think of rent, we think of gas prices, which have come down a little bit, but not a ton here in Washington state. What are some of the things that a Democrat-controlled Congress in Washington could do to address some of those high costs?
DelBene: Let's start with tariffs. The president has been putting in place sweeping tariffs. Those have raised costs on consumer goods, on food across the country. We've seen farmers having to pay more for fertilizer. Costs going up for them. Loss of markets as our trading partners retaliate back.
So, one, Congress needs to stand up. Congress has a say. Congress should have to approve any of this. I don't believe the president has the ability to put in place these sweeping tariffs. This is a case at the Supreme Court right now, but Congress could make very, very clear that we don't support that, and that any tariffs that are proposed by the president have to come to Congress for a vote. That's one place to start. We talk about health care, another skyrocketing cost for families. The tax credits for the Affordable Care Act that Republicans have stood against extending made a big difference in keeping costs lower, but also they passed this terrible "Big Bill" gutting Medicaid. All of these are policies when we make sure that we are making investments, making sure that we have affordable, quality health care for everyone in this country. Those are policies that we can continue to fight for. Republicans are moving us backwards.
Moffatt: Alright. Rep. Suzan DelBene, thanks so much for your time.
DelBene: Thank you.
