Ryan Mackenzie

One of the most vulnerable Congressional Republicans in Pennsylvania is squaring off with his Democratic challenger over ICE operations in Minnesota after a deadly weekend of violence.

Bob Brooks, Democratic candidate in Lehigh Valley’s 7th Congressional District, on Monday reiterated calls for the removal of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and getting ICE out of Minneapolis.

Brooks said federal immigration agents have stoked violence in that city.

“I spent 20 years working in public safety in this community,” said Brooks, a former Bethlehem firefighter. “This is not safety, it’s chaos. It’s detaining children. It’s killing people on our streets. It’s terrorizing families and making our neighbors afraid to leave their homes.”

Republican incumbent Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, is urging restraint on ICE, saying it was “essential” to wait for the facts before engaging in dialogue.

“At the same time, we cannot allow a lack of cooperation from local officials to prevent criminals from being detained and deported,” Mackenzie said in a written statement.

“For weeks, officials in Minneapolis and even here in our own community have fanned the flames of division and disrespect for law enforcement. This has resulted in a well-coordinated effort to interfere with federal law enforcement operations, including those targeting criminals.”

Two people have been killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis, the most recent, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed by agents on Saturday. A third person was shot in the leg and wounded just days after the first killing on Jan. 7 of Renee Good, 37.

The military-style crackdown has sparked bipartisan nationwide outrage.

Sen. Rand Paul, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, called Monday for the heads of ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to testify before the panel.

Mackenzie, who unseated Democrat Susan Wild in 2024 to help Republicans take control of Congress, is now considered among the most at risk to lose his seat in Congress.

Roll Call has ranked him the second most vulnerable Republican in Congress.

The 7th district is highly competitive. President Donald Trump won it by 3 points in 2016, then lost in 2020 by less than a point. Trump last year won the district by 3 points.

In a post on X on Monday, Brooks urged Senate Democrats to vote No on funding DHS, saying ICE was “out of control.”

He called for the separation of the DHS funding bill from other funding bills to keep the government open; and called for common sense policies like doing away with the mask policy for ICE agents, and an end to the detention and deportation of those with legal status.

Brooks called for the removal of ICE from Minneapolis.

“Noem and this administration have used their power to undermine our laws and safety. She should be impeached and removed,” he posted on X a few days ago.

Mackenzie said that “oversight and cooperation” needed to be emphasized. He voted in favor last week, of the House appropriations bill to fund DHS.

The Senate is scheduled to take up that bill this week. Funding expires on Jan. 31; the chamber is due back in session on Tuesday.

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee has requested an oversight hearing with ICE and DHS.

“From my position on the Homeland Security Committee, I will continue to prioritize accountability, common sense, and the rule of law,” Mackenzie said.

Mackenzie has come under fire from progressives for his support of controversial legislation, including a vote to cut SNAP benefits.

Mackenzie backed Trump’s efforts to overturn Pennsylvania election results in 2020. He previously stated that the United States was being “invaded” by illegal immigrants.

Brooks spent 20 years as a firefighter in the City of Bethlehem and served as president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association.