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Moderate Long Island Democrats sour on ICE after killing of Alex Pretti

By

Jimmy Vielkind

Published Jan 29, 2026

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Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images

By

Jimmy Vielkind

Published Jan 29, 2026

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This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers' lives.

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U.S. Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, both representing parts of Long Island, ended last week by backing more funding for the Department of Homeland Security. They started this week with strong rebukes against the arm of the Trump Administration.

Their changing stance is one clear sign of how the politics of immigration enforcement changed after federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti as he filmed a protest in Minneapolis.

And it speaks to the angst New Yorkers have about what could happen if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency of DHS, brought a large-scale operation to the Empire State.

“I failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis,” said Suozzi. He and Gillen were two of just seven House Democrats to vote for more DHS funding. “I hear the anger from my constituents, and I take responsibility for that.”

Gillen, who said she supported the bill because it also contained FEMA funding, this week signed onto a resolution to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The secretary has defended the actions of the agents who shot Pretti.

Senate Democrats are now refusing to back the same funding bill, teeing up a possible government shutdown. And in Albany, the shooting has energized a push to let people sue federal agents and to forbid them from wearing masks while on duty.

“There'll be things that we as New Yorkers can do, we as New York can do, and we'll be trying to fast-track that in the wake of what's happening around the nation,” state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said Tuesday.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, included language in her proposed budget that would prevent civil immigration enforcement in schools, hospitals and houses of worship. She also wants to let people sue federal agents if they injure them or damage their property.

Republicans denounced Hochul’s proposals when they were announced. But even GOP support for President Donald Trump’s ongoing crackdown is wavering. U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican from Rockland County, wrote in an op-ed essay this week that Pretti’s death was “preventable” and asked ICE to “reassess” its tactics.

Immigrant advocacy groups are calling for Hochul to back the New York for All Act, which would mostly prohibit state and local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE. Hochul hasn’t taken a position on the bill.

Christina Greer, a professor of political science at Fordham University, says the situation in Minnesota is putting Hochul under more pressure.

“I am curious as to how Hochul in a re-election year in a very purple state will deal with some of these hard conversations,” Greer said. “Hochul has to tread a very fine line.”

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• Mayor Mamdani is clashing with city councilmembers over a housing bill whose supporters contend it will help keep more apartments affordable and out of the grip of speculators. Here’s why.
• Construction on the first new set of Hudson River train tunnels in more than a century will halt next week if the Trump administration doesn’t resume funding mandated by Congress. Here’s more on the situation.
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• New York is coming closer to joining the great redistricting wars of 2026 — but the blue state’s foray is still a long shot. Here’s why.

Tagged

Kathy Hochul

Politics

donald trump

immigration

long island

new york state

Jimmy Vielkind

Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Jimmy led a team of reporters that won a New York Press Club award for coverage of Andrew Cuomo’s downfall and was on a team that won a Gerald Loeb Award for coverage of Amazon’s HQ2 process. A native of the Capitol Region, Jimmy has two degrees in urban planning. His position is funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Reach Jimmy at [email protected].

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