Democrats prepare new immigration investigations

Democrats are preparing new investigations into the Trump administration's immigration policies when they take control of Congress in January. The change will give them committee leadership and subpoena power they lacked while in the minority.

The planned scrutiny includes fatal shootings by federal immigration agents. Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens, were killed in separate encounters with federal agents in Minneapolis in January. Their deaths became a major focus of criticism of the administration's enforcement campaign.

Democrats have already held shadow hearings featuring relatives, witnesses and people affected by immigration operations. Such sessions allowed them to gather testimony but did not give them the same power to compel participation that comes with control of congressional committees.

The incoming majority can demand internal records, including use-of-force reports, and seek testimony from senior officials. Democratic lawmakers have said they intend to use those tools to examine how immigration enforcement was directed and how officials responded when people were killed.

The broader oversight agenda also reaches beyond the shootings, including alleged abuses at the Department of Homeland Security and the operation of immigration enforcement programs. The scope and outcome of individual investigations have not yet been established.

Winning Congress does not give Democrats control of the executive branch. Trump remains president, and the administration retains substantial enforcement funding. The immediate change is the prospect of more forceful legislative oversight, not an automatic halt to immigration operations or a finding of wrongdoing in any particular case.