Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego responded to Vice President Vance’s defense of an ICE officer who shot and killed a woman yesterday in Minneapolis during an appearance on CNN on Thursday afternoon:

CNN HOST: Senator, I’m not sure if you were able to see the entirety of the vice president’s remarks there, but he said, This is a tragedy, but a tragedy of her own making. He stood by this ICE officer and talked about a robust effort by the Justice Department to root out fraud in Minneapolis. What are your impressions? SEN. RUBEN GALLEGO: Well, number one, it’s entirely irresponsible to come to a conclusion about what caused this. There are a lot of things that could have caused it, and some of it could be as simple as the fact that we have lowered the training standards for these ICE agents. The reason we have high training standards is because when you’re interacting with human beings, you encounter situations like this. For those of us who served in the military and were trained to do this type of work, you have to be very aware and very cognizant of what’s happening around vehicles. You can see a very cavalier attitude throughout-whether it’s this incident or other incidents-that these ICE agents are taking. This is a broader problem that this administration is not engaging with. They’re using these ICE agents not just to enforce deportations, but also to strike fear in communities. I see it everywhere I travel. I’ve seen it talking to people in Arizona, talking to people in Chicago. The reason they’re finding themselves in these situations is because these ICE officers aren’t effectively doing their work as professionals. They’re more focused on spreading the propaganda of this presidency, and that’s why we’re here right now. CNN HOST: It’s important to note-you are a combat veteran. You know a thing or two about use of force. Obviously, the military is different from DHS, and each agency has its own protocols. The vice president, who is also a veteran, noted that this was a veteran ICE officer-someone with several years, maybe a decade, of experience. He said that months ago this officer was dragged by another car for about 50 yards and suffered more than 30 stitches in his leg. Do you think he was a little sensitive? What’s your reaction to the vice president essentially saying we should cut this guy some slack? SEN. RUBEN GALLEGO: I remember in my time that getting shot at every day, or bombed, or hit by IEDs or RPGs did not give me an excuse the next day to stop being professional. It didn’t give me an excuse to treat civilians I interacted with in an unprofessional manner, or to put myself-or others-in danger. That’s why there has to be a full investigation into what happened here. And yes, I’m sure what the vice president said about what happened to this officer before is true. But that does not excuse whatever actions he may have taken this time. Every action has to be evaluated on its own. You can’t bring that kind of stress into this environment when you’re dealing with U.S. citizens who have a right to protest, and who do not have a right to be bullied by the federal government. The fact that the administration is not going to participate in an investigation with the state of Minnesota tells you a lot about what they’re trying to do. CNN HOST: How could there be an investigation that you would put credence in, considering the federal government says Minnesota has no jurisdiction, while Minnesota officials say they were initially involved but have now been cut out? SEN. RUBEN GALLEGO: There are a lot of options. You could bring in former U.S. attorneys, former Homeland Security officials-people who have worked for both Democrats and Republicans-who are professionals and could conduct an independent investigation. There are also organizations like police chiefs’ associations that could provide a credible investigation that people could understand and trust. But the fact is, the White House is already stating a claim of innocence. That makes it very difficult for anyone within the FBI to conduct a credible investigation. More importantly, if they were actually interested in carrying out deportations through normal law enforcement processes, you wouldn’t see situations like this. They’re saturating neighborhoods not because they’re trying to deport people, but because they’re trying to intimidate local populations-including U.S. citizens. That’s how you end up with confrontations between citizens and law enforcement. It’s entirely unnecessary, and it’s being driven by politics, not by legitimate law enforcement needs. CNN HOST: We’re just a few days past the fifth anniversary of January 6th. A lot of people have been commemorating Ashli Babbitt, who was killed that day by a federal law enforcement officer. Some people point out the contrast between her death and the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis-two women of similar ages, treated very differently in political discourse. How do you see that comparison? SEN. RUBEN GALLEGO: I see it very simply. Ashli Babbitt was a traitor. She had been warned multiple times to stand back and not cross. She helped break through a barrier, was climbing through a broken window, and ignored a police officer who was telling her to stop. This is not at all the same. The difference is that the Trump administration will lie to protect its interests. What happened on January 6th was motivated and propelled by that administration and by Donald Trump. Ashli Babbitt was a traitor to her country. In this case in Minnesota, we don’t yet know exactly what happened. We don’t know the full cause. These situations are not remotely comparable, and the fact that Republicans try to equate them shows how much they are bowing to Donald Trump.

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