Missouri’s U.S. Senators, Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, are about to vote on government funding bills that would continue funding the Department of Homeland Security — including ICE and Border Patrol.

That vote is happening at a moment when the country is watching federal immigration operations spiral into chaos and tragedy. In Minneapolis this month, two U.S. citizens were killed during encounters with federal immigration agents: Renee Nicole Good, 37, a mother of three, and Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse who cared for veterans.

Federal officials rushed to justify both deaths. But publicly shared videos and statements from local leaders have raised serious questions about what happened — and whether the official story matches what Americans can see with their own eyes.

So far, the public has not gotten what any democracy owes its people after a killing by government agents: transparency, accountability, and consequences when wrongdoing occurs.

 Missourians can disagree on policy and still agree on a basic American principle: no federal agency gets a blank check when people are dying and no one is being held responsible.

We call on Senators Hawley and Schmitt to vote NO on any funding package that includes DHS/ICE funding unless it includes enforceable accountability requirements. That means a full, independent investigation into the killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, public identification of the officer or officers involved, full preservation and release of evidence, and prosecution if the facts show criminal wrongdoing.

If DHS and ICE want more funding, they must prove they can operate within the law — with oversight the public can trust.

Senators Hawley and Schmitt: Missouri is watching. Do not reward chaos, secrecy, or lethal abuse of power with more taxpayer money. Vote NO on DHS/ICE funding until there is real accountability.