By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Top U.S. immigration officials are testifying before a congressional committee on Tuesday in the first such hearing since two U.S. citizens were killed in Minnesota and amid mounting opposition to President Donald Trump’s crackdown.
The officials - the highest ranking at three agencies overseeing immigration enforcement and legal immigration - are expected to face scrutiny from Democrats on the committee after the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Trump, a Republican, escalated his aggressive immigration enforcement push in Minneapolis in January, leading to clashes between masked immigration officers and residents opposed to broad immigration sweeps that have picked up many non-criminal offenders, including families and children.
Top Trump officials swiftly portrayed both Good and Pretti as “domestic terrorists” and aggressors after they were killed by federal immigration officers but video evidence contradicted those statements.
Testifying on Tuesday will be Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Joe Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Democrats in the U.S. Congress say ICE must be reformed and have demanded they remove masks, wear body cameras and prioritize enforcement to focus on criminal offenders.
As public pressure mounted after the deaths, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan took over operations in Minnesota, supplanting Border Patrol’s roving commander Gregory Bovino and saying agents would adopt a more targeted approach.
Despite internal ICE guidance calling for officers to stop engaging with protesters, the encounters have continued, including U.S. citizens arrested and charged after following officers in their cars.
The hearing will take place before the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
