Nearly all Republican members of the House Homeland Security Committee did not attend a Wednesday hearing convened by Democrats to examine the use of force by federal immigration officers during President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign. The hearing, held under House Minority Day rules — one of the few mechanisms allowing the minority party to convene a full committee hearing — drew testimony from U.S. citizens who said they were harmed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents.

Democrats on the committee focused significant attention on two U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis: Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The deaths occurred in January and prompted House Democrats to withhold approval of additional funding for ICE and CBP, a move that has resulted in a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security since mid-February.

Among those who testified was Marimar Martinez of Chicago, who said she was shot five times by immigration enforcement agents. Martinez had previously testified at an official congressional hearing on April 22. The committee's top Democrat said that under Trump, federal immigration agents had "killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in cold blood" and harmed or detained "countless more innocent people."

Republicans did not present a formal rebuttal presence at the hearing, though the committee's Republican majority controls the regular hearing schedule. The DHS shutdown and the dispute over ICE and CBP funding remain unresolved as of late April.

Montana has a congressional delegation that includes members on relevant House and Senate committees, and the state's residents who interact with federal agencies or border enforcement could be affected by any policy changes or funding resolutions that emerge from the ongoing standoff.