Members of the San Diego Democratic congressional delegation voiced support Tuesday for a proposed bill by Rep. Scott Peters that would establish stricter use-of-force standards for federal immigration enforcement agents — standards they say may have prevented the recent fatal shootings of two U.S . citizens in Minneapolis. Reps. Juan Vargas, Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs joined Peters in demanding accountability from the Department of Homeland Security following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good this month by federal agents. “Neither should be dead today,” Peters said during a news conference outside the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building in downtown San Diego. “Their deaths and the chaos that federal immigration officers have wreaked in American cities are tragedies, and this administration has refused to hold these agents accountable.” Peters introduced the Stop Excessive Force in Immigration Act in November, before DHS deployed a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The proposed legislation includes limitations on the use of military-style equipment and requires federal immigration enforcement agents to wear body cameras. The bill also aims to improve training and restrict the use of masks. Additionally, it would prohibit agents from identifying themselves as “police” on their uniforms, as this has led to confusion with local police departments. “My bill … would make DHS operate in accordance with the best practices of law enforcement, would enforce them to abide by the same use-of-force and de-escalation standards to which police officers around the country must adhere,” he said. The local delegation also joined the growing number of voices within their party who have called for the impeachment of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem — “if she won’t resign or Trump won’t remove her,” said Levin. “I’ve been very reluctant to go down that road, but after the events of this past weekend, there is no other choice,” he said. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump expressed his support for Noem amid the backlash after the killings of Pretti and Good in Minneapolis, telling reporters that she is doing “a very good job” by pointing out that the southern border is “totally secure.” He said that Noem would not step down. Trump said he wants “a very honorable and honest investigation” following Pretti’s death on Saturday. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Democrats in the Senate have indicated that they could block a funding bill for DHS as the shutdown deadline approaches, unless there are reforms to ICE operations. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that the Senate Democrats “will not pass the DHS budget until it is rewritten.” “I will vote no on any legislation that funds ICE until it is reined in and overhauled,” he said on X. The four San Diego legislators who voted against the 2026 DHS appropriations bill, which passed the House last week, said they would stand with Senate Democrats. However, Jacobs said that she and her colleagues do not take the possibility of a partial government shutdown lightly. “We have no other choice,” she said. ...read more read less