WATCH: Senator Kim Presses Immigration Officials for Answers and Accountability for Trump’s Occupation of Minnesota

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today in a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Senator Andy Kim voiced Americans’ outrage about the Trump administration’s occupation of Minnesota and called for immediate accountability to prevent future surges of federal agents to any other American city.

When pressed, Acting Director of ICE Todd Lyons wouldn’t commit to ending the harmful surge tactics that put thousands of federal agents on the streets of our cities. Watch and share a clip of the exchange.

During the hearing, Senator Kim expressed the importance of a truly independent investigation into the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti: "I just want to convey that there is a huge trust gap here. Just absolute zero trust for this administration to be able to conduct an independent investigation into these killings...without that I don’t think we’re going to be able to move forward.” Watch the full exchange between Senator Kim and Acting Director Lyons.

Earlier in the hearing, Senator Kim spoke to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison about the on-the-ground impact and experience of having 3,000+ federal agents in Minnesota, amplifying Americans’ experience of feeling “occupied.” Senator Kim stated: “I think this committee needs to look at just the sheer volume, the sheer number of federal agents and what kind of signal that sends to Minnesota and the people on the ground.” Minnesota Attorney General Ellison followed by adding that this is the single largest deployment of immigration agents in the history of our country.

Later on MSNOW, Senator Kim outlined the sheer volume of this occupation in Minneapolis: “Over 3,000 federal agents were there. And when you put that into perspective...that is over twice the number of Minnesota State Police, Minneapolis Police, St. Paul Police, combined. This was an occupation of an American state, of an American city.”

Alongside his Democratic committee colleagues, Senator Kim has called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to come before the committee and answer to the American people for the failures of her agency and continues his calls for her to resign from her role entirely.

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