WASHINGTON — Top officials with the U.S. immigration enforcement agencies defended their approach Tuesday at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, amid intense scrutiny of policies sparked by the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in Minneapolis.

It was the first hearing with representatives from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and Citizenship and Immigration Services since the fatal shootings last month.

The questioning from lawmakers tracked with a broader debate over the Trump administration’s approach, as Congress is negotiating a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a Friday deadline.

Democrats focused on equipment, training and discipline for agents deployed in the expanded enforcement effort, while Republicans focused on how criticism and lack of cooperation from local jurisdictions make the enforcement more dangerous for officers.

Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., said in his opening statement the hearing was planned months in advance and was an “opportunity to assess and reinforce the integrity” of immigration enforcement.

“The committee has a duty, regardless of administration, to conduct oversight,” Garbarino said. “We need to examine how DHS components are enforcing the law and ensure they have the resources in place to do work safely, effectively and properly.”

But Garbarino also said the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis were “unacceptable and preventable” and leaders shouldn’t come to conclusions about their deaths before facts are known.

“The safety of law enforcement and the communities they serve and protect must always come first,” Garbarino said. “When officials or elected leaders rush to conclusions about law enforcement or their fellow Americans, public trust suffers. There must be a complete and impartial investigation.”

Garbarino asked whether in the Minneapolis shootings the standard procedures were followed from the beginning for incidents with deadly force. Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, and Rodney Scott, commissioner of CPB, affirmed that they had been followed.

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, top Democrat on the committee, questioned the officials about the deployment of body cameras, one of the demands Democrats have made as part of the DHS funding showdown.

Lyons said more than 3,000 body-worn cameras are in use, with more than 6,000 being deployed, on a total force of about 13,000 agents in the field. Scott estimated 10,000 body-worn cameras are in use on a total force of 20,000 CPB agents.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., asked Lyons how many people ICE has fired. Lyons said he couldn’t immediately give that personnel information, even when Swalwell pressed him on even if one person had fired.

Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., asked how people the agency has disciplined, which prompted Lyons to say he couldn’t immediately provide a response.

“There has been no accountability in your agency under the Trump administration. None,” Magaziner said. “Your agency has repeatedly been caught on tape using unnecessary violence against civilians, and you can’t even tell me if any of these agents have been investigated or disciplined.”

Republicans on the committee defended the Trump administration officials, asserting their work has made the border secure and inflammatory rhetoric has encouraged violence against them.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said factors that contributed to the climate in Minneapolis include localities known as sanctuary cities not honoring detainers — “This is a No. 1 violation,” he said — and threats against immigration agents.

“The rhetoric on the left led to over 1,000 percent increase in assaults on ICE officers, an increase of over 8,000 death threats to them,” McCaul said. “All of this created a perfect storm for our officers being thrown into this situation.”

Trump administration officials testified their overall approach has been effective and a significant reversal since the Biden administration, which they accused of being lax in enforcing immigration law.

Lyons said ICE conducted 379,000 arrests since the start of the Trump administration until the end of last month, including more than 7,000 suspected gang members and more than 1,400 known suspected terrorists.

“We are enhancing public safety, securing our national security, and finally, restoring integrity and immigration system that have been allowed to collapse,” Lyons said.

Lyons also addressed the fallout of the deaths of Minnesota, asserting state and local officials in the aftermath have expressed a willingness to work more with federal officials.

“While the investigations remain ongoing, I am encouraged that some Minnesota officials are finally signaling for willingness to cooperate with ICE,” Lyons said. “But let me make clear: The promises are not enough. We need action.”

Scott faulted the Biden administration for making the U.S.-Mexico border a “porous geographic line” that resulted in record numbers of encounters of migrants in the United States illegally.

“We ended catch-and-release, prioritized detention and removal authorities, and we sent a clear message that illegal entry in the United States will not be tolerated,” Scott said.

Joseph Edlow, director of CIS, said the Trump administration’s policies have amounted to changes “protecting our communities and restoring integrity to America’s legal immigration system.”

Edlow emphasized his agency’s efforts to combat fraud, asserting the Trump administration has strengthened vetting policies to stop someone who falsely claims U.S. citizenship to get public benefit or try to vote and tightened screening to verify claimed marriages and family relationships are legitimate.

“Mass humanitarian parole programs were being abused by the prior administration, so we restored them to Congress’s original intent, allowing those benefits on a case-by-case basis,” Edlow said.

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