Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Rep. Thomas Suozzi, D-N.Y., sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting a meeting to address what they described as growing public rejection of immigration enforcement efforts across the country
The letter from Fitzpatrick and Suozzi, co-chairs of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, calls for a bipartisan reset amid rising tensions and deadly incidents involving federal agents.
It comes as Congress faces an uproar following the fatal shooting of a protester Saturday in Minneapolis during a federal deportation crackdown.
"The tragedy in Minneapolis and the looming federal government shutdown demand that Congress, and the White House, Democrats, and Republican finally work together to address the immigration and border security issues that have festered for too long," the lawmakers wrote Tuesday.
They argued that years of congressional gridlock and executive branch failures have fueled public anxiety and mistrust surrounding immigration enforcement.
"Decades of legislative branch gridlock and executive branch missteps have contributed to anxiety, fear, and now anger and mistrust," the lawmakers said. "Let's seize this moment to act together, in a bipartisan manner, for the good of our nation."
While praising Trump's “success in securing our border," Fitzpatrick and Suozzi warned that those gains are being "overshadowed" by public disdain for interior immigration enforcement operations.
The letter follows the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — who were killed by federal law enforcement personnel deployed to Minnesota as part of stepped-up deportation efforts.
The shootings have prompted calls from local leaders and lawmakers in Washington for independent investigations.
In their letter, Fitzpatrick and Suozzi urged Trump to require that all federal law enforcement-involved shootings be subject to independent review.
They also called for limiting enforcement actions to duties for which officers are properly trained and for providing legal protections to immigrants while modernizing the nation's legal immigration system.
"If we work together, there will be dramatically less need for enforcement, and we can focus on those violent criminals that must be deported," the lawmakers wrote in the letter, while also highlighting the contributions of law-abiding immigrants.
"Now is the time to come together: to lower the temperature, reject reckless rhetoric, condemn violence and hatred in all their forms, and lead with respect, restraint, and above all, humanity," they added.
The White House has not yet publicly responded to the lawmakers' request for a meeting.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.