Texas Sen. Ted Cruz joined the Republicans criticizing the Trump administration over the killing of Alex Pretti and its aftermath, saying that "everyone" should "ratchet things down."
Speaking during his podcast Verdict With Ted Cruz, the senator said that "everyone who has anything resembling a conscience is horrified by what's happening in Minneapolis."
As a result, he called on "everyone" to "ratchet things down," saying that "we're supposed to be one nation" and noting that "the rhetoric politicians are using on both sides" needs to be addressed.
"On one side, they view every shooting as an absolute tragedy, as evidence that America has become Nazi Germany; on the other side, you see some people that seem pretty eager to celebrate a violent and lethal confrontation with law enforcement," Cruz said during a passage of the address.
He went on to advise the administration to change the tone with which they are describing operations. "Immediately when an incident like this happens, they come out guns blazing," Cruz said, claiming that such rhetoric makes the administration lose "credibility."
"And the problem is...you're being told this is a mom of three and she's not waving an ISIS flag or doesn't have a suicide vest around her," Cruz noted, in reference to Renee Good, killed earlier this year in Minneapolis.
"And, so, I would encourage the administration to be more measured, to recognize the tragedy, and to say, 'We don't want anyone's lives to be lost.' And the politicians who are pouring gasoline on this fire, they need to stop," he concluded.
Cruz is not the only Republican taking distance from the events unfolding in Minneapolis. Texas Governor Greg Abbott also called for ICE to change course.
Speaking on the Mark Davis Show on Monday, Abbott was asked if he was "concerned that ICE's popularity ratings are going down."
He replied that "they, being the White House, need to recalibrate on what needs to be done to make sure that respect is going to be reinstalled."
"That's not an easy task, especially under the current circumstances, but I know that they are working on a game plan to make sure that they are going to ... recalibrate and maybe work from a different direction to ensure that they get back to get what they wanted to do to begin with, and that is to remove people from the country," Abbott added.
The Trump administration is making some changes after the backlash. Different reports noted that Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino is expected to leave Minneapolis, and that Customs and Border Protection is also set to reduce the number of agents in the city throughout the week.
Bovino, who was considered the face of the operation, will return to the border in El Centro, California. He will no longer have the title of commander and won't oversee Border Patrol agents making immigration arrests in cities in the interior.
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