San Diego congressional Democrats demand stricter use-of-force standards by immigration agents

Members of the San Diego Democratic congressional delegation voiced support Tuesday for a proposed bill by Rep. Scott Peters that would establish stricter use-of-force standards for federal immigration enforcement agents — standards they say may have prevented the recent fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.

Reps. Juan Vargas, Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs joined Peters in demanding accountability from the Department of Homeland Security following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good this month by federal agents.

“Neither should be dead today,” Peters said during a news conference outside the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building in downtown San Diego. “Their deaths and the chaos that federal immigration officers have wreaked in American cities are tragedies, and this administration has refused to hold these agents accountable.”

Peters introduced the Stop Excessive Force in Immigration Act in November, before DHS deployed a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.

The proposed legislation includes limitations on the use of military-style equipment and requires federal immigration enforcement agents to wear body cameras. The bill also aims to im...