Mark Amodei, the Nevada Republican who helped negotiate the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill in the U.S. House, publicly stated this week that the current federal immigration enforcement operation needs to “pivot” following recent events.
Amodei chairs the House Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee, the panel responsible for funding DHS — the federal department that includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Because of that role, he played a key part in shaping and advancing the 2026 DHS appropriations package through the House.
His comments come in the wake of national attention on a federal enforcement operation in Minneapolis, where a U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti, was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent during a protest. Amodei said he had been briefed by staff on the incident but had not viewed video of the encounter himself.
While Amodei expressed support for continuing federal enforcement efforts overall, he said the current approach is “not in a good place right now” and suggested it should be reassessed. He did not advocate withdrawing federal personnel from the field but said he wants greater transparency to ensure operations focus on targeting individuals with deportation orders and serious criminal histories — goals he believes have broad support.
Amodei also commented on how leadership changes and public messaging around the operation may affect perceptions of enforcement. His remarks reflect concern about how immigration enforcement actions are being viewed nationally, not just in Nevada.
At the time of his remarks, the DHS appropriations bill had passed the House, with most Republicans supporting it. Some Democratic lawmakers from Nevada have taken different positions — including opposition to the overall funding package — but those differences did not alter Amodei’s role in negotiating the bill.
As with any ongoing federal operation, additional details on enforcement actions and oversight discussions may continue to unfold in Congress in the weeks ahead.
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