U.S. Senate candidate and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called for “immediate reforms” before any additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol operations following the deaths of two Minneapolis activists during altercations with federal agents.
“The federal government should deport violent criminals, but instead they have killed American citizens,” Cooper said in a statement on social media Monday afternoon. “Americans deserve answers and any additional funding for these ICE operations must come with immediate reforms that stop this chaos and keep people safe.”
The call for reform comes two days after the two-term Democratic governor first condemned federal immigration enforcement for the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. “These horrific shootings in Minnesota should not have happened,” he said. “American citizens should not be targeted and killed.”
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley speaks with reporters in Rocky Mount ahead of a Trump rally on Dec. 19, 2025. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline)The campaign of Michael Whatley, Cooper’s expected 2026 general election opponent, did not respond to a request for comment. His campaign had not addressed the Minnesota shootings on its social media as of Monday afternoon.
In November, Whatley lauded “strong, decisive action” from the Trump administration when Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents were operating in Charlotte, writing on social media, “The highest function of any government is to keep its citizens safe.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, responded to Cooper but did not address his call for reform, zeroing in on another part of his statement: “As attorney general and governor, I locked up violent criminals to keep people safe.”
“Tell us more about how you ‘locked up violent criminals to keep people safe,’” the NRSC responded on X.
included a still image from the surveillance footage of last year’s killing of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte public transportation. Republicans have argued that although Cooper was not governor at the time, he bears the responsibility for the attack because the alleged assailant was released from state prison under his administration after serving his full sentence. The North Carolina Republican Party reposted the criticism.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) called for an impartial investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Photo: Senate.gov)In response, Cooper campaign spokesman Jordan Monaghan said the attack on the former governor’s record was a distraction.
“Roy Cooper is the only candidate who spent his career prosecuting violent criminals and keeping thousands of them behind bars as attorney general, and signing tough on crime laws and stricter pretrial release bail policy as governor,” Monaghan said.
Cooper’s call for conditions on funding echoes those of U.S. Senate Democrats, nearly all of whom oppose additional funding for Homeland Security without restrictions on immigration enforcement operations. That standoff could potentially lead to a partial government shutdown.
Some Republicans have also voiced concerns over the shootings. On Sunday, Sen. Thom Tillis, whose seat Cooper and Whatley are vying to fill, urged a “thorough and impartial investigation” into Pretti’s death. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called on the heads of ICE, Border Patrol, and USCIS to testify before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Monday afternoon.
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