Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., speaks to reporters after a Republican political luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on December 2, 2025 in Washington, DC (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
As Democrats in Congress call for Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms in airy of the shooting of intensive care worker Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito told reporters Thursday she might agree with some of their demands.
Capito, R-W.Va., said Thursday she could support a rule requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and undergo de-escalation training. She was hesitant to support banning ICE officers from wearing face masks. Capito said she has safety concerns about a mask requirement.
“I think we need to look at this more objectively,” Capito said. “I think our agents are being pressured at the same time… I don’t know where that would go, so I have questions about that from a security perspective.”
The USA The government moved closer to a partial shutdown on Thursday as Democrats and a handful of Republicans declined to advance a funding bill that would provide funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Capito and Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., both voted to advance the legislation.
ICE agents shot and killed Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday. It was the second shooting in this city by ICE agents. Agents shot and killed Renee Good on January 7th.
Senate Democrats have demanded this “Common sense” changes They want to implement it for federal immigration enforcement. The reforms include ending patrols, tightening rules on the employ of warrants, requiring ICE to coordinate with state and local law enforcement, banning mask-wearing, requiring the employ of body cameras and requiring officers to carry proper identification.
Democrats say the reforms must be added to a funding package that must take effect before the weekend to avoid a partial government shutdown.
“We need to make sure that they find a way to enforce our immigration laws but still implement them properly,” Capito said. She added that the Trump administration has announced plans to move ICE agents out of Maine and she expects there will be fewer agents in Minneapolis.
She said ICE’s focus should be on removing “violent criminals” who are in the country illegally.
“I think almost everyone in this country would agree with this tactic,” Capito said. “But it goes beyond that, and I think that’s where the problem lies. And I think you’ll see the government reconsider those decisions.”
When asked about Pretti’s death, Capito said the videos were depressed and arduous. She repeated comments she made after Good’s death: that the job of an ICE agent is arduous.
“I think we need to tone down the rhetoric,” Capito said. “Not just the rhetoric – we need to tone the whole thing down. I think that’s why President Trump sent (border czar) Tom Holman there, to get things back on track to working with local officials and state officials, which is what we should have been doing all along. I don’t think they were interested in working with the Department of Homeland Security.”
She added that local officials in places where ICE operates should admit that they do not house “violent criminals” in their jails and prisons.
“I think this is a safety issue and I think this is compliance with federal law,” she said. “So I think concessions on both sides would perhaps help move things forward.”
A partial government shutdown would impact the DAccording to reports from States Newsroom, they are the departments of Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, State, Transportation and Treasury. The Executive Office of the President, the Supreme Court and the Judiciary would also go without funding.
Capito said she is frustrated by the possibility of another shutdown just months after a shutdown that lasted more than a month last fall.
“Basically, while Homeland Security has Border Patrol and ICE authority, it also has extremely important agencies,” such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Capito said.
After Winter Storm Fern brought snow and ice over the weekend, knocking out power to thousands of West Virginia residents, Forecasters say another snowstorm is possible on the East Coast this weekend.
“We need to have our FEMA disaster funds and FEMA disaster people ready because if there was a shutdown, they would be in danger,” Capito said.
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