Donna Brazile Calls ICE Agents ‘Hooded Thugs’ in ABC News Debate With Daily Signal’s Rob Bluey

An exchange on ABC News’ “This Week” Sunday laid bare the sharp political divide over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.

Following a second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis in just over two weeks, ABC News host Jonathan Karl asked panelists to offer their reactions amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the state’s Democrat leaders.

The Daily Signal’s Rob Bluey sparred with Democrat strategist Donna Brazile over who was ultimately responsible.

“President Trump was elected with the promise that he would ramp up immigration enforcement in this country,” Bluey said on the ABC News roundtable. “Elections have consequences. I think that’s what the administration keeps coming back to.”

Brazile fired back, challenging the training and identification protocols of federal agents deployed under the administration’s expanded enforcement operations.

“These agents are barely trained. They are supposedly getting trained for 47 days because they wanted to have 47 after the president. That’s crazy,” Brazile said. “Number two, they are not identified. They walk around like they are hooded thugs.”

Fatal Shooting

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse with no previous criminal record, was shot by federal agents Saturday while filming an immigration enforcement operation.

Like the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good in Minneapolis, the latest shooting has sparked intense scrutiny of the frame-by-frame video of Pretti’s actions. At the time of the incident, Pretti was armed with a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol for which he had a concealed carry permit.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Pretti of an “act of domestic terrorism” and Border Patrol Commander at Large Greg Bovino said he had an intent “to inflict maximum damage on individuals.”

Refusing to Cooperate

Bluey noted that President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have blamed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for refusing to cooperate with federal authorities

Their resistance to federal authority is tantamount to historical figures like Jefferson Davis or George Wallace, Bluey said. Walz has openly embraced neo-Confederate rhetoric to justify his decisions.

Brazile called for collaboration, but insisted that ICE must leave Minneapolis.

“The cities are saying like they did under Obama, under Bush, work with the city and state officials,” she said, adding that “the Minneapolis police department said, we want to work.”

Bluey countered that Minnesota is a sanctuary state, purposefully impeding the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

What Comes Next

The clash reflects broader national tensions as the administration pursues aggressive immigration enforcement in sanctuary jurisdictions while facing resistance from state and local officials.

Senate Democrats, including by Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, have threatened to block a Department of Homeland Security funding bill over recent incidents, potentially leading to another partial government shutdown.

ABC News legal analyst Sarah Isgur, editor of SCOTUSblog, noted the Pretti shooting could present an unusual legal scenario where Minnesota authorities might have grounds to prosecute federal agents—typically shielded from state prosecution—if the conduct was so egregious it fell outside official duties.

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association issued a rare rebuke of a Trump-appointed assistant U.S. attorney who suggested citizens approaching law enforcement with guns were putting their lives at risk.

“Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens,” the NRA statement read.

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