Families of people killed by ICE say feds have slandered the victims

Family members of people killed by ICE testified at a Democratic-organized forum in Washington that federal officials repeatedly gave false accounts of shootings, including claims later contradicted by video or testing. Rep. Robert Garcia said House Oversight Democrats have documented over 1,000 credible abuse allegations since Trump's second term began, including 20 people shot by ICE and 58 deaths in custody.

Families described a pattern: DHS initially said Ruben Ray Martinez's family wasn't told for nearly a year he was the first U.S. citizen killed by ICE in this administration, while officials claimed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo had weaponized his vehicle and possibly carried drugs, both later contradicted by testing and witness accounts. Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse shot in the back in Minneapolis, was described by the administration as a 'domestic terrorist' according to a witness who filmed the shooting.

Democrats lack subpoena power to compel administration testimony, so they've relied on these informal hearings to gather accounts. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin's own initial account of the Maine shooting was later revised by ICE itself, according to the family's telling.

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