Commissioner Ellis’s Statement on Harris County Resolution Condemning ICE and CBP Violence in Minnesota and Nationwide
Harris County, Texas (January 26, 2026) — Today, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis issued the following statement regarding Commissioners Court’s 4-1 passage of a resolution condemning the Department of Homeland Security’s violent, unaccountable operations.
“The brutal killings of Renee Nicole Good, Alex Pretti, and the many others who have been killed in ICE custody nationwide reflect a dangerous pattern of militarized enforcement that undermines public safety and constitutional rights. True public safety comes from investing in community trust, due process, and accountability—not fear and intimidation. My colleagues and I demand that DHS immediately withdraw its surge of federal immigration agents from Minneapolis, end militarized tactics, and ensure a full, independent investigation into the deaths of Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and all others killed during its operations. Harris County stands with Minnesota.”
Last week, Commissioner Ellis joined Harris County Attorney Jonathan Fombonne, Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Lesley Briones, and other municipal officials across the country in filing an amicus brief in federal court to stop the Trump Administration's unconstitutional and illegal surge of federal agents into Minneapolis and St. Paul.
WHEREAS, the brutal killings of Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, by federal immigration agents on January 7 and January 25, respectively, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, represent a continuation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s pattern of militarized, violent immigration enforcement that has shown contempt for both human life and constitutional freedoms; and
WHEREAS, these shootings occur amid approximately nine Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)-related deaths so far in 2026, following a deadly trend in which 2025 marked ICE’s deadliest year in two decades, with 32 people dying in its custody – nearly triple the 11 deaths recorded in 2024; and
WHEREAS, ICE has demonstrated itself to be a violent and unaccountable agency, engaging in warrantless arrests, racial profiling, deadly force, and interference with independent oversight and investigations; and
WHEREAS, Harris County has joined an amicus brief supporting Minnesota in its federal lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s “Operation Metro Surge,” a militarized deployment of thousands of masked and armed federal immigration enforcement officers in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area; and
WHEREAS, True public safety comes from investing in community trust, due process, and accountability - not in deportation machinery that harms families and erodes constitutional rights;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Harris County Commissioners Court condemns the recent killings and militarized immigration enforcement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security across U.S. cities, and calls upon the agency to immediately withdraw its surge of federal immigration agents from Minneapolis, end militarized tactics, and ensure a full, independent investigation into the deaths of Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and all others killed during its operations;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Harris County Commissioners Court calls upon the federal government to enact comprehensive reforms to federal immigration enforcement that establish accountability, ensure transparency, and prioritize genuine public safety;