Hochul calls for removal of top Trump immigration officials after deaths in Minnesota

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling for the firing or impeachment of federal Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the removal of Border PatrolCmdr. Gregory Bovino, following federal agents shooting dead a second protester in Minnesota.

Hochul, in her most forceful remarks about the escalation of violence, accused Noem and her federal agency of promoting a "shameless, bold-faced lie" about the series of events leading to federal agents fatally shooting Alex Pretti, 37, in the back in Minneapolis.

The governor, citing another fatal shooting by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents earlier in the month in Minnesota, called Saturday’s incident "a continuation of a deadly pattern, a pattern of violence" by federal agents.

"When federal agents use lethal force against civilians and then prevent state authorities from fully investigating, it violates the basic principles of a democracy," Hochul said. "Kristi Noem has forfeited her right to lead, and I'm calling on her to resign as Secretary of Homeland Security or Donald Trump to do the right thing and just fire her. And if not, she must be removed or impeached. And Gregory Bovino — who has helped lead and defend and escalate these operations — should also be fired."

Asked about the situation in Minneapolis, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman instead criticized Hochul.

“Kathy Hochul turned down federal help for New Yorkers during a winter storm so she could score political points with cop haters," said Blakeman, the Nassau County executive." Hochul should focus more on protecting New Yorkers than fighting with Secretary Noem.”

Pretti was shot dead in the street Saturday, the second citizen killed by immigration officials in Minneapolis in January following Renee Good.

Noem was among those who said Pretti "approached" immigration officers with a gun and acted violently.

But videos of the scene reviewed by The Associated Press appear to contradict statements by the Trump administration that the shots were fired "defensively" against Pretti. Videos from the scene show Pretti being pushed by an officer and then a half-dozen agents descending on him. During the scuffle, he is holding a phone but is never seen brandishing the 9 mm semiautomatic handgun police say he was licensed to carry.

Noem said Pretti attacked officers, and Bovino said he wanted to "massacre law enforcement."

Hochul called those characterizations a lie.

"This nurse with nothing more than his cellphone in his hand, that he was trying to kill them — that's their story," the New York governor said Sunday. "But anyone who's seen this horrific video, multiple videos, knows that this is a shameless, boldface lie."

Hochul, asked multiple times since the killing of Good about the potential for Trump to send ICE agents to New York, has said her repeated message to the president in doing so would cause chaos in the nation’s financial capital — hurting his own personal business interests as well as those of his allies.

Further, the governor said she’d "have more to report on further actions the State of New York will be taking in the upcoming days" to hold federal officials accountable.

Meanwhile, a host of Republican members of Congress are calling for further investigations into Pretti’s death. Sen. Pete Ricketts, a Nebraska Republican and a staunch ally of Trump, called for a "prioritized, transparent investigation." Vermont Gov. Phil Scott called the federal immigration operations a "failure."

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, on a CNN talk show, called the shooting a "real tragedy" and said Trump needs to outline an "end game."

Newsday's Bahar Ostadan and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy