Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents should be withdrawn from communities nationwide, arguing that recent enforcement actions have resulted in American casualties.
During an appearance on ABC’s This Week, Beshear described ICE as an agency that needs sweeping reform and suggested its operations should be paused while policies are reassessed. He argued that aggressive enforcement tactics have led to deadly confrontations and said the federal government should “pull everybody back” to ensure constitutional protections are being respected.
Beshear’s comments come amid heightened national attention following multiple violent incidents tied to federal immigration operations. In one widely reported case, a 37-year-old American woman, Renée Good, was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis during a January 2026 enforcement action. Authorities have also been linked to another January 2026 shooting in Minneapolis involving Alex Pretti during an encounter with federal agents. These events have fueled protests and political debate over the scope and tactics of immigration enforcement.
Beshear said that, based on his experience as Kentucky’s former attorney general, the use of force and the ability of agents to operate without a judicial warrant in certain circumstances raise serious concerns. He called for leadership changes at the Department of Homeland Security and said ICE should undergo retraining from the “top down.”
The governor also framed the issue as a matter of public trust in law enforcement, asserting that deaths connected to enforcement operations warrant a nationwide reassessment. He warned that without reforms, tensions between federal authorities and local communities could continue to escalate.
Federal officials have maintained that immigration enforcement actions are conducted under existing legal authority, while critics argue the recent incidents highlight the risks of aggressive tactics. The debate is expected to continue as policymakers weigh calls for stricter enforcement against demands for procedural changes and oversight.
