A Republican congresswoman abruptly ended a town hall meeting this week after facing mounting anger over the Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations — and the recent killings of American citizens by ICE agents.
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming walked off the stage Tuesday night as boos and shouts filled the room, according to WyoFile. The tense moment came after constituents repeatedly pressed her about the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month.
Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyoming) arrives before Hunter Biden appeared for a deposition before a House panel as part of a Republican-led impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden.
For weeks, the Trump administration and Republicans have faced growing backlash over the killings. Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot and killed by ICE agents after officials claimed he approached officers with a gun. But videos recorded by bystanders do not show Pretti holding a firearm, directly contradicting the Department of Homeland Security’s initial account.
During the town hall, Hageman initially tried to steer the discussion away from Minnesota altogether.
“I haven’t talked about that,” she said when asked about the shootings. “I spoke about the Laken Riley Act because it was one of the bills that we passed. I haven’t talked about what was going on in Minnesota.”
That answer only escalated tensions.
“Why is that?” one attendee shot back. “Why haven’t you said that you condemn the violence or given condolences to the families of the victims?”
Hageman responded that the issue “hasn’t been the topic that we’ve been talking about today,” before adding, “I think what has happened in Minnesota is a terrible tragedy for the woman and the man who were killed.”
Another resident pressed Hageman on whether ICE may have violated the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
“I think that I have to look at the investigation,” Hageman said, before being drowned out by shouts from the crowd. “If there were violations of someone’s constitutional rights, there is redress.”
That answer triggered a direct and furious confrontation.
“They are killing American citizens in the streets, and you are doing nothing,” the attendee said. “You are not saying a single solitary thing to support constituents or to support the American people. As a constitutional lawyer, you should be infuriated. You should be incensed. Why are you not?”
Moments later, Hageman left the stage, ending the town hall amid loud boos.
Mar 2, 2023; National Harbor, MD, USA; Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL), right, and Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-WY), left, during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on March 2, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
The walkout comes as Hageman ramps up her campaign for U.S. Senate, seeking to replace retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis. While the first half hour of the event focused on her record in Congress, the Q&A quickly devolved into a referendum on ICE’s expanding authority and the deadly consequences now playing out in public view.
DHS initially claimed Pretti approached agents with a 9 mm handgun and “violently resisted” efforts to disarm him. But video footage of the shooting does not appear to show a weapon in Pretti’s hand — a discrepancy that has fueled outrage across the political spectrum.
Even conservative voices have raised alarms.
“You remember Kyle Rittenhouse and how he was made a hero on the right,” Fox News host Trey Gowdy said Sunday. “It’s lawful to carry a gun in Minnesota. He never brandished it. He didn’t point it at the cops.”
By Tuesday night, that contradiction — between official talking points and what Americans can plainly see — had turned a routine town hall into a public rupture. And when confronted with it directly, a Republican lawmaker running for higher office chose to walk away.
