Martin, who is from Minnesota, gave brief comments during a news conference at Ball Arena, the only part of the three-day visit open to members of the media. The visit started Tuesday.

“The mayor has been working tirelessly to get this convention here,” he said of Mayor Mike Johnston. “They have rolled out the blue carpet, as I say, and it����ap been terrific.”

Denver is the third of five cities that Martin and the DNC team will visit on scouting trips before they decide which will host the 2028 convention. The other contenders are Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. The winner will host the four-day convention in August 2028, bringing in tens of thousands of visitors and giving the city a national stage to show off its attractions.

Martin hinted that his team may also choose a host city for the 2032 convention.

“While we are here to tour and discuss the various logistical and administrative requirements for hosting the Democratic National Convention, we also seek a city that tells a story, that shares our values and will be a true partner with us,” he said.

Johnston led the press event, which also included comments from Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib.

“This is a state (where) we’re successfully showing not only (that) Democrats win and continue to win, but we’re governing effectively,” Polis said. “We’re happy to share that with our colleagues … and many others from across the entire nation to make sure that more of the country can really look west for the future.”

Denver and Colorado officials have focused on highlighting the city’s transportation and logistical advantages during their pitch. They’ve also pointed to Democratic policy wins locally, including free kindergarten and preschool, decreases in street homelessness and improved public safety.

Johnston shared some details of the visit so far, including taking the DNC officials to the Colorado Avalanche’s playoff game Tuesday night — the team beat Martin’s home-state Minnesota Wild 5-2 — and singing karaoke at the Capitol Hill bar Charlie Brown’s.

During what he jokingly called his “closing argument” Wednesday, he called back to the last time Denver hosted the Democrats’ convention. That was in 2008, when then-Sen. Barack Obama accepted his nomination for president.

“This city and the ’08 convention made famous the idea of hope and change,” he said. “As we think about this coming convention, it is true that often hope inspires change. But it is more profoundly true that change drives hope.”

The DNC visit coincided with a heavy spring snowstorm that left several inches of snow over the city. The storm didn’t majorly impact the planned tour, though. City officials did have to pivot away from their plan to bring Martin and the rest of the team to a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a spokesman said.

One of the key factors in the decision will be whether Denver bid leaders are able to sufficiently fundraise for the event. Johnston said the city has built out a “detailed financial plan” to raise the resources but that the process wouldn’t fully kick off until the city is actually named as the host.

The mayor also said the city hasn’t used any of its own resources in trying to bring the convention to the city. Instead, bid leaders have worked with a nonprofit that serves as the city’s tourism sales and marketing agency. It receives both private dollars and some tax dollars from the city’s lodging tax.

If he’s successful, it will mean 50,000 people will pour into Denver for four days in August of that year.

“It����ap kind of like four Super Bowls in a row,” Johnston said in an interview with Denver Post journalists in advance of the delegation’s site visit.

Throughout the visit, much of which could happen during a spring snowstorm, Denver city leaders will attempt to demonstrate the city’s logistical, financial and merriment potential.

Denver is the only one of five finalist cities that is located west of the Mississippi River. The other options are Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. DNC leaders, including chair Ken Martin, have already visited Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Atlanta’s mayor recently called out most of the other bidding cities, saying, “Boston is history. Philadelphia is played out. Denver is nostalgia. Atlanta is now,” .

Johnston responded to that, saying: “Of all the disses, I thought ours was actually the best.” It refers to the city’s much-lauded hosting of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, where then-Sen. Barack Obama accepted his party’s nomination on his way to becoming the nation’s first Black president.

Denver’s plan is to focus on what the city has to offer instead of attacking the others, Johnston added. He did take a few jabs throughout the conversation, though.

“(Denver) is cool in the summertime and it����ap not 110 degrees in August, like it is in some other places that I won’t name,” he said.

Talking about some of the criteria the DNC will consider in the decision, he said: “It����ap very much like, you either have a 20,000-person arena or you don’t. Atlanta does not.”

The visit plan

During the site visit, Johnston and other city leaders will try to infuse “little moments of joy” while also showing off the city’s infrastructure. That will include visits to some of the city’s best restaurants and bars, along with a tour of Rockmount Ranch Wear in Lower Downtown.

If Denver wins the bid, the city plans to host excursions for the delegates in two years. While they’re in the city, visitors are likely to have downtime to explore the region. For their entertainment, Denver will offer things like craft beer tours, history courses on neighborhoods like Five Points and a trip to the city’s mountain parks, Johnston said.

Different bars would be dedicated to delegates from each state — including miniature versions of Denver’s big blue bear in front of each, with a painted flag from their state.

This week’s site visit won’t all be about bid leaders’ ideas for fun, though.

Johnston’s team will also have to show that hosting the convention in Denver will make things easier on the event planners.

After the representatives land at Denver International Airport, Denver officials will show them how to use the A-Line train to travel into the heart of the city — an option that didn’t exist in 2008. Once there, they will lead them on a short walk to some of the nearby hotels.

Johnston said that when he’s spoken to other delegates about past conventions, their biggest complaints have been mostly logistical, such as long commutes between venues. Ball Arena’s easy proximity to downtown is a strong suit of the bid.

Beyond logistical concerns, Denver’s bid team will talk about the city’s hotel offerings, space available for the convention, security options and parking spots. The city’s recent expansion of the Colorado Convention Center is also a major selling point, he said.

Another important focus will be the city’s fundraising capabilities, though officials haven’t cited a specific dollar figure they’re aiming for or disclosed their progress in securing commitments.

“I actually feel very confident about our path. … We are ahead of our projection for what we can raise,” Johnston said.

During the three-day site visit, which begins Tuesday, Denver bid leaders will showcase the city’s best features as they attempt to persuade the party officials to choose the city for the 2028 event, Mayor Mike Johnston’s office confirmed.

The city is facing off against Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. Democratic National Committee leaders have begun visits to each of the cities to evaluate their logistical capabilities, including hotels and transportation infrastructure.

“The goal is to make sure that (DNC Chair) Ken Martin and the rest of the great team at the DNC — from landing to visiting sites to engaging with our community — can feel the energy and excitement that a delegate might feel in 2028,” said Shad Murib, the chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.

Murib added that local leaders will also try to convey their confidence in the city’s ability to host thousands of people.

In a news release in March, the DNC said its leadership, like Martin, and representatives from the party’s Technical Advisory Group would attend the site visits.

The party said those officials would consider factors such as the importance of “forging a strong partnership between the DNC and the host city,” the city’s shared Democratic values and the city’s ability to address challenges that could arise from the event.

Denver hosted the Democrats’ convention in 2008, when then-candidate Barack Obama accepted his presidential nomination in front of tens of thousands of people at Empower Field at Mile High, then called Invesco Field.

Last week, the . According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey described their city as the “ultimate battleground” for winning back faith and trust from voters. They pointed to major downtown upgrades made ahead of the FIFA World Cup games that will be played there later this year.

Dickens also took shots at other finalists, including Denver, saying: “Boston is history. Philadelphia is played out. Denver is nostalgia. Atlanta is now,”

On Wednesday, the national Democrats .

The Denver Post reported in January that the city was making a bid for the event. In March, the DNC announced that Denver was among the five . Earlier this month, Johnston and U.S. Rep. Jason Crow were among Colorado Democrats who attended the DNC’s spring meeting in New Orleans to pitch the city’s credentials.

During the upcoming site visit, Denver leaders will likely try to demonstrate that the city is accessible, safe and vibrant.

The city earlier this year as part of the bid that touts Red Rocks Amphitheatre as well as the city’s professional sports teams, museums, outdoor access, breweries and restaurants. The video, narrated by Johnston, also highlights some of the city and state’s policy accomplishments, including decreases in street homelessness and crime, expanded affordable housing, universal preschool and abortion access.

Presidential nominating conventions, which happen every four years, are where Democratic and Republican party delegates formally select their presidential and vice presidential candidates. The event could bring a major economic boost to the city, which saw major budget cuts last year amid stagnating sales tax revenue.

The other cities have also hosted the event before, with Chicago doing so 12 times. The DNC was in Philadelphia in 2016, Boston in 2004 and Atlanta in 1988.

The national committee hasn’t said when it will announce its city selection, but the 2024 location was announced about a year and a half before the convention. The next Democratic convention is set for Aug. 7-10, 2028.

NEW YORK — The CEOs of the nation’s top airline companies, including American, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue, are imploring Congress to restore funding to the Department of Homeland Security and embrace a bipartisan solution to including airport security officers during the partial government shutdown.

“Once again, air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown,” the executives wrote in an to Congress that was published Sunday online and in The Washington Post.

The letter, which was also signed by the CEOs of the cargo companies UPS, FedEx and Atlas Air, said that Congress should pass the Aviation Funding Solvency Act and the Aviation Funding Stability Act, which would guarantee air traffic controllers are paid regardless of the government����ap funding status, as well as the Keep America Flying Act. That measure would offer the same protections to Transportation Security Administration officers tasked to provide security and to screen all travelers.

”It����ap difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid,” the letter said.

The current partial shutdown affects only the Department of Homeland Security, which includes TSA. Democrats in Congress refused to fund the department over objections to its immigration enforcement tactics. The lapse marks the third shutdown in less than a year to leave TSA workers temporarily without pay — and once the government reopens, to have to wait for back pay.

Democratic lawmakers have said DHS won’t get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of and in Minneapolis earlier this year.

The CEOs noted that with spring break in full swing, FIFA’s World Cup 2026 approaching and celebrations for America’s 250th birthday throughout the year, the stakes are high. The letter said that U.S. airlines expect 171 million passengers this spring season.

As the latest drags on, there have been long security lines at a growing number of U.S airports.

The TSA and Homeland Security have consistently blamed Democrats for the long security lines.

Homeland Security posted on its X account last week that more than 300 TSA agents have quit since the start of the shutdown.

Dwayne Romero on Tuesday announced his candidacy for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District — which covers western and southern Colorado, including much of the Western Slope, the San Luis Valley and Pueblo. , a businessman from Old Snowmass, .

Both men aim to unseat freshman Republican U.S. Rep. , a Grand Junction attorney elected to the seat in 2024. In the Republican primary, Hurd faces Hope Scheppelman, a former Colorado Republican Party vice chair who’s now endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Romero, who now lives in Snowmass Village, moved to Colorado in 1997 after serving in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer, during which he was deployed in the Persian Gulf War. He lived in Carbondale for six years before moving to Aspen in 2003. He runs a real estate company in the Roaring Fork Valley called the Romero Group.

He previously served on the Aspen School District’s board, the Aspen City Council, and the boards of the Aspen Fire Protection District and the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority. He also spent a year as the state’s chief economic development director under then-Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Trump pulls back endorsement of U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd after he bucked president on tariff vote

He emphasized his military service in his announcement as well as his upbringing as the child of a single mom who relied on food stamps to make ends meet.

Kelloff's campaign points to his family's deep roots in western Colorado, which stretch back four generations. Kelloff co-founded Armada Skis and spent the majority of his career working for several large investment firms.

Both Kelloff and Romero pledged to push back against President Donald Trump's administration, including opposing budget cuts to social services.

"I'm running for Congress because Jeff Hurd and Donald Trump have taken too much," Romero .

In 2024, Hurd 50.8% to 45.8%. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report , which before Hurd was represented by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, as "likely Republican" in this year's midterm election.

NEW YORK — The Transportation Security Administration said Sunday that its PreCheck program would remain operational despite an earlier announcement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the airport security service was being suspended during the partial government shutdown.

“As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly,” the agency said.

It was not immediately clear whether Global Entry, another airport service, would be affected. PreCheck and Global Entry are designed to help speed registered travelers through security lines, and suspensions would likely cause headaches and delays. Since starting in 2013, more than 20 million Americans are signed up for TSA PreCheck, according to the Department of Homeland Security, and millions of those Americans also have overlapping Global Entry memberships. Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to use expedited kiosks when entering the United States from abroad.

The turmoil is tied to a partial government shutdown that began Feb. 14 after Democrats and the White House were unable to reach a deal on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have been demanding changes to immigration operations that are core to President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign.

The security disruptions come at a time where a major winter storm will hit the East Coast from Sunday into Monday. Nine out of ten flights going out of John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Boston Logan Airport have been cancelled for Monday.

Homeland Security previously said it was taking “emergency measures to preserve limited funds.” Among the steps listed were “ending Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck lanes and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Global Entry service, to refocus Department personnel on the majority of travelers.”

“We are glad that DHS has decided to keep PreCheck operational and avoid a crisis of its own making,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.

Before announcing the PreCheck shutdown, Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement Saturday night that “shutdowns have serious real world consequences.”

One group of fliers will definitely be affected, according to TSA.

“Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of Congress, have been suspended to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America’s skies,” the agency said.

Airlines for America, a trade group representing major carriers, said Saturday night that “it����ap past time for Congress to get to the table and get a deal done.” It also criticized the announcement by saying it was “issued with extremely short notice to travelers, giving them little time to plan accordingly.”

“A4A is deeply concerned that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs are being suspended and that the traveling public will be, once again, used as a political football amid another government shutdown,” the organization said.

Democrats on the House Committee on Homeland Security criticized Homeland Security handling of airport security after the initial announcement on Saturday night. They accused the administration of “kneecapping the programs that make travel smoother and secure.”

Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, said Noem’s actions are part of an administration strategy to distract from other issues and shift responsibility.

“This administration is trying to weaponize our government, trying to make things intentionally more difficult for the American people as a political leverage,” he told CNN on Sunday. “And the American people see that.”

Trump has instead argued for protecting existing owners who have watched the values of their homes climb. It����ap a position that flies in the face of what many economists, the real estate industry, local officials and apartment dwellers say is needed to fix a big chunk of .

“I don’t want to drive housing prices down. I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes, and they can be assured that����ap what����ap going to happen,” Trump told his Cabinet on Jan. 29.

That approach could bolster the Republican president����ap standing with older voters, a group that over time has been more likely to vote in . Those races in November will determine whether Trump’s party can retain control of the House and Senate.

“You have a lot of people that have become wealthy in the last year because their house value has gone up,” Trump said. “And you know, when you get the housing — when you make it too easy and too cheap to buy houses — those values come down.”

But by catering to older baby boomers on housing, Trump risks alienating the younger voters who expanded his coalition in 2024 and helped him win a second term, and he could wade into a “generational war” in the midterms, said Brent Buchanan, whose polling firm Cygnal advises Republicans.

“The under-40 group is the most important right now — they are the ones who put Trump in the White House,” Buchanan said. “Their desire to show up in an election or not is going to make the difference in this election. If they feel that Donald Trump is taking care of the boomers at their expense, that is going to hurt Republicans.”

The logic in appealing to older voters

In the 2024 presidential election, 81% of Trump’s voters were homeowners, according to AP VoteCast data. This means many of his supporters already have mortgages with low rates or own their homes outright, possibly blunting the importance of housing as an issue.

Older voters tend to show up to vote more than do younger people, said Oscar Pocasangre, a senior data analyst at liberal think tank New America who has studied the age divide in U.S. politics. “However, appealing to older voters may prove to be a misguided policy if what����ap needed to win is to expand the voting base,” Pocasangre said.

Before the 2026 elections, as a top concern, and that is especially true for younger voters with regard to housing.

Booker Lightman, 30, a software engineer in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, who identifies politically as a libertarian Republican, said the shortage of housing has been a leading problem in his state.

Lightman just closed on a home last month, and while he and his wife, Alice, were able to manage the cost, he said that the lack of construction is pushing people out of Colorado. “There’s just not enough housing supply,” he said.

Shay Hata, a real estate agent in the Chicago and Denver areas, said she handles about 100 to 150 transactions a year. But she sees the potential for a lot more. “We have a lack of inventory to the point where most properties, particularly in the suburbs, are getting between five and 20 offers,” she said, describing what she sees in the Chicago area.

New construction could help more people afford homes because in some cases, buyers qualify for discounted mortgage rates from the builders’ preferred lenders, Hata said. She called the current situation “very discouraging for buyers because they’re getting priced out of the market.”

But pending construction has fallen under Trump. Permits to build single-family homes have plunged 9.4% over the past 12 months in October, the most recent month available, to an annual rate of 876,000, according to the .

Trump’s other ideas to help people buy houses

Trump has not always been against increasing housing supply.

During the , Trump’s team said he would create tax breaks for homebuyers, trim regulations on construction, open up federal land for housing developments and make monthly payments more manageable by cutting mortgage rates. Advisers also claimed that housing stock would open up because of Trump’s push for mass deportations of people who were in the United States illegally.

As recently as October, Trump urged builders to ramp up construction. “They’re sitting on 2 Million empty lots, A RECORD. I’m asking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to get Big Homebuilders going and, by so doing, help restore the American Dream!” Trump posted on social media, referring to the government-backed lenders.

But more recently, he has been unequivocal on not wanting to pursue policies that would boost supply and lower prices.

In office, Trump has so far focused his on lobbying the Federal Reserve to cut its benchmark interest rates. He believes that would make mortgages more affordable, although critics say it could spur higher inflation. Trump announced that the two mortgage companies, which are under government conservatorship, would buy at least in a bid to reduce rates.

Trump also wants Congress to . But he has rejected suggestions for expanding rules to let buyers use 401(k) retirement accounts for down payments, telling reporters that he did not want people to take their money out of the stock market because it was doing so well.

There are signs that lawmakers in both parties see the benefits of taking steps to add houses before this year’s elections. There are efforts in the Senate and House to jump-start construction through the use of incentives to change zoning restrictions, among other policies.

One of the underlying challenges on affordability is that home prices have been generally rising faster than incomes for several years.

This makes it harder to save for down payments or upgrade to a nicer home. It also means that the places where people live increasingly double as their key financial asset, one that leaves many families looking moneyed on paper even if they are struggling with monthly bills.

There is another risk for Trump. If the economy grows this year, as he has promised, that could push up demand for houses — as well as their prices — making the affordability problem more pronounced, said Edward Pinto, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank.

Pinto said construction of single-family homes would have to rise by 50% to 100% during the next three years for average home price gains to be flat — a sign, he said, that Trump’s fears about falling home prices were probably unwarranted.

“It����ap very hard to crater home prices,” Pinto said.

The meeting, part of the National Governors Association winter gathering, will only include Republican governors, according to multiple people familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss scheduling that was not public.

Trump is still planning to hold a separate, bipartisan dinner for governors and their spouses at the White House as part of the NGA activities, but he personally blocked invites for two Democrats: Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland and Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado.

The president told staff members that he only wanted Republican governors for the meeting, which includes Cabinet secretaries.

The NGA alerted Democratic governors of the change by email Friday morning.

“The president has decided to only invite Republican governors,” the email said, according to a copy obtained by The New York Times. “N.G.A. leadership has decided that this will not be an N.G.A. event, and no N.G.A. resources will be used to support transportation for this activity.”

Brandon Tatum, the acting chief executive of the NGA, said in a statement that the organization was “disappointed” in the administration’s decision.

“To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration,” he said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It is unclear why Trump decided not to invite Polis and Moore, who is the vice chair of the organization.

Trump has sparred with Polis in recent months, particularly over the Colorado governor’s refusal to pardon Tina Peters, a convicted election denier and supporter of Trump’s. Last December, the president vetoed a pipeline project to provide clean drinking water to Colorado’s eastern plains, and he said Polis should “rot in Hell.”

“Governor Polis has always been willing to work with anyone across the political spectrum who wants to help work on the hardest problems facing Colorado and America, regardless of party or who occupies the White House,” Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for Polis, said in a statement.

Moore has criticized the president over a range of issues, including his deployment of the National Guard to deter crime, and his immigration policies. A spokesperson for Moore said the governor had not been told why he would not be invited, and noted that Moore was recently at the White House for discussions on energy policy.

“Governor Moore is disappointed to be excluded but is undeterred from his work to serve the people of Maryland and as vice chair of the National Governors Association,” David Turner, the spokesperson, said in a statement.

But some of Trump’s most prominent critics, including Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, are expected to be invited to the dinner. It is unclear whether they — or any other Democratic governors — will attend.

State leaders gather in Washington every winter for the annual NGA meeting, a bipartisan organization of the nation’s governors. The president typically hosts governors at the White House for a session with White House staff members and Cabinet secretaries on a Friday morning, then hosts a black-tie dinner for the governors and their spouses the next evening.

Last year, Trump sparred with Gov. Janet Mills of Maine during the session with governors at the White House. While speaking about an executive order he had signed banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, he called out for Mills.

Trump asked Mills, “Are you not going to comply with that?”

“I’m complying with the state and federal laws,” she said.

The president said that “we are the federal law,” and threatened to withhold all federal funding from Maine.

“See you in court,” Mills shot back.

“Good, I’ll see you in court,” Trump said. “I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one.”

He added: “And enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”

Mills is now running for the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Maine.

This article originally appeared in .

Dennis Coyle, a 64-year-old from Pueblo, was kidnapped on Jan. 27, 2025, near his workplace by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence, the group’s intelligence agency, while he was working as an academic researcher to support Afghan language communities, his family said on a .

Coyle’s three sisters and their 83-year-old mother lost contact with him for nine months before learning he was alive, his sister, Molly Long,  earlier this month.

Coyle has not been charged with a crime, but has been held in near-solitary conditions in a basement, his family said on their website. He does not have medical care and must seek permission to use the bathroom, they said.

“With each phone call that we get from him, we get more and more desperate to get him home,” Long told News Nation.

Coyle’s family members were not immediately available for interviews with The Denver Post.

Taliban officials that Coyle is in good health and his “rights as a prisoner are protected.” They claimed formal court proceedings in his case would begin “soon.”

The Trump administration and the Afghan government for months have been secretly negotiating the release of U.S. detainees, including Coyle, the Monday. Sources, though, told the newspaper that talks have stalled, with Afghan officials insisting that the Americans release , the last Afghan inmate held at Guantánamo Bay, in any deal.

President Donald Trump, about Coyle’s situation, said he didn’t know much about it but that he would “take a very strong position on it.”

The U.S. State Department in June classified Coyle as wrongfully detained under the , according to his family.

“The Taliban should immediately release Dennis Coyle and all Americans detained in Afghanistan and end its practice of hostage diplomacy,” State Department officials told CBS News in a statement. “We remind all Americans — do not travel to Afghanistan. The Taliban has detained Americans for years and the U.S. government cannot guarantee your safety.”

Coyle first arrived in Afghanistan in the early 2000s, working legally to “survey Afghanistan’s rich linguistic diversity and help Afghan communities develop resources in their own languages,” his family said on their website. The Colorado native lived in Kabul and built strong, lasting relationships with the community.

“Dennis has always embraced Afghan culture with genuine warmth — sharing cups of traditional green tea, enjoying dried fruit snacks, and engaging in the kind of heartfelt conversations that bridge cultures,” his family wrote. “His love for the Afghan people isn’t just professional; it����ap personal and deeply felt.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A growing number of Republicans are pressing for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after a fatally , a sign that the Trump administration’s accounting of events may face bipartisan scrutiny.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino sought testimony from leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying “my top priority remains keeping Americans safe.”

A host of other congressional Republicans, including Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas and Sens. of North Carolina, of Louisiana, of Maine and of Alaska, pressed for more information. Their statements, in addition to concern expressed from several Republican governors, reflected a party struggling with how to respond to Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a VA hospital.

Trump administration officials were quick to cast Pretti as the instigator. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was among those who said Pretti “approached” immigration officers with a gun and acted violently. show Pretti being pushed by an officer and then a half-dozen agents descend on him. During the scuffle, he is holding a phone but is never seen brandishing the 9mm semiautomatic handgun police say he was licensed to carry.

The killing has raised uncomfortable questions about the GOP’s core positions on issues ranging from gun ownership to states’ rights and trust in the federal government.

Cassidy, who is facing a Trump-backed challenger in his reelection bid, said on social media that the shooting was “incredibly disturbing” and that the “credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake.” He pushed for “a full joint federal and state investigation.” Tillis, who is not seeking reelection, urged a “thorough and impartial investigation” and said “any administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy.”

Murkowski called for an investigation and added that “ICE agents do not have carte blanche in carrying out their duties.” Collins, the only incumbent Republican senator facing reelection in a state Democrat Kamala Harris carried in 2024, said a probe is needed “to determine whether or not excessive force was used in a situation that may have been able to be diffused without violence.”

While calling for protesters to “keep space” from law enforcement and not interfere, Collins said federal law enforcement must “recognize both the public’s right to protest and the highly charged situation they now face.”

Even Sen. , a staunch ally of President , called for a “prioritized, transparent investigation.”

“My support for funding ICE remains the same,” the Nebraska Republican, who is up for reelection, said online. “But we must also maintain our core values as a nation, including the right to protest and assemble.”

Trump and other administration officials remained firm in their defense of the hard-line immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis, blaming Democrats in the state along with local law enforcement for not working with them. Many Republicans either echoed that sentiment or stayed silent.

In a lengthy social media post on Sunday evening, Trump called on Minnesota’s Democratic leadership to “formally cooperate” with his administration and pressed Congress to ban so-called sanctuary cities.

The White House will likely face at least some GOP pushback

Trump has enjoyed nearly complete loyalty from fellow Republicans during his first year back in the White House. But the positions staked out in the wake of the shooting signal the administration will face at least some pushback within the party in its swift effort to define Pretti, who protested , as a violent demonstrator.

Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller issued social media posts referencing an “assassin” and “domestic terrorist” while Noem said Pretti showed up to “impede a law enforcement operation.”

At a minimum, some Republicans are calling for a de-escalation in Minneapolis.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the shooting was a “real tragedy” and Trump needs to define an “end game.”

“Nobody likes the feds coming to their states,” Stitt said. “And so what is the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-U.S. citizen? I don’t think that’s what Americans want.”

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said the shooting was “not acceptable.”

“At best, these federal immigration operations are a complete failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices, training and leadership,” he said in a post. “At worst, it’s deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens.”

Echoing criticism that local law enforcement isn’t cooperating with federal officials, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., suggested the administration focus its immigration efforts elsewhere.

“If I were President Trump, I would almost think about if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way and there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide do we want to continue to have all these illegals?” he told “Sunday Morning Futures” on the Fox News Channel. “I think the people of Minnesota would rebel against their leadership.”

A sensitive moment for the GOP

Pretti’s killing comes at a sensitive moment for the GOP as the party prepares for a challenging midterm election year. Trump has fomented a sense of chaos on the world stage, bringing the last week. Domestically, Trump has struggled to respond to widespread affordability concerns.

Meanwhile, approval of his handling of immigration — long a political asset for the president and the GOP — has tumbled. Just 38% of U.S. adults approved of how Trump was handling immigration in January, down from 49% in March, according to an .

The killing spurred notable tension with the GOP’s long-standing support for gun rights. Officials say Pretti was armed, but no bystander videos that have surfaced so far appear to show him holding a weapon. The Minneapolis police chief said Pretti had a permit to carry a gun.

Yet administration officials, including Noem and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have questioned why he was armed. Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” Bessent said that when he has attended protests, “I didn’t bring a gun. I brought a billboard.”

Such comments were notable for a party where support for the Second Amendment’s protection of gun ownership is foundational. Indeed, many in the GOP, including Trump, lifted Kyle Rittenhouse into prominence when the then-17-year-old former police youth cadet shot three men, killing two of them, during a 2020 protest in Wisconsin against police brutality. He was after testifying that he acted in self defense.

In the wake of Pretti’s killing, gun rights advocates noted that it is legal to carry firearms during protests.

“Every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms — including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their First Amendment rights,” the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said in a statement. “These rights do not disappear when someone is lawfully armed.”

In a social media post, the National Rifle Association said “responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is often critical of the White House, said “carrying a firearm is not a death sentence.”

“It’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right,” he said, “and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.

The second-ranking Justice Department official said he was aware of reports that Pretti was lawfully armed.

“There’s nothing wrong with anybody lawfully carrying firearms,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on “Meet the Press” on NBC. “But just make no mistake about it, this was an incredibly split-second decision that had to be made by ICE officers.”

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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report