HAVANA (AP) — As tensions rise between the United States and Cuba and the island braces for more economic difficulties, priests and priestesses of the Afro-Cuban religion known as Santería held several ceremonies on Sunday, offering gifts to deities and asking for peace.
Several leading figures in the Santería community prayed for the “spiritual healing” of the Cuban people and an end to the violence and conflicts that, according to their predictions in late December, would characterize this year.
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Santeria priests, also known as Babalawos, perform a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Santeria priests, also known as Babalawos, perform a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Santeria priests, also known as Babalawo, eat after a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Santeria priests, also known as Babalawos, perform a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Santeria priests, also known as Babalawos, perform a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
They chanted in ancient Yoruba, brought to the island by enslaved Africans and passed down orally. African and Spanish traditions syncretized, giving rise to Cuba’s strong Afro-Cuban identity.
“We...believe that through sacrifices and prayers we can alleviate the impact of harmful issues,” said Lázaro Cuesta, a renowned priest who organized the ceremony in the courtyard of an old house.
On Jan. 2, Cuban Santería priests known as babalawos predicted the possibility of war and violence that would affect Cuba and the world using traditional divining methods.
A day later, on Jan. 3, the United States struck Venezuela's capital, Caracas, and arrested then-President Nicolás Maduro. Thirty-two Cuban soldiers from Maduro’s personal security detail died in the operation.
Venezuela is one of Cuba’s main political, ideological and commercial allies, and the attack shocked the island’s population.
Cuba is currently experiencing a radical tightening of U.S. sanctions, strangling its economy to pressure for a change in its political system, and President Donald Trump has directly threatened the island.
“As religious people, we always try to distance ourselves from anything negative that comes into our lives,” said Yusmina Hernández, a 49-year-old homemaker, as she participated in the ceremony.
At the foot of a leafy mango tree swaying in the breeze, a hen, a rooster and a dove were sacrificed. Around them, several dozen babalawos raised their voices in prayer, repeatedly asking Eggun, the deity of the ancestors, for permission to invoke his power and presence.
Then, the priests and parishioners moved to a large room in the house for the second part of the ceremony.
Dressed in white, wearing necklaces and headdresses, they made their offering to Azowano, one of the forms Saint Lazarus takes in their religion. They knelt before a large basket and bowls filled with beans, corn, and even two eggs, a generous offer since they are expensive in Cuba.
Afterward, several hundred people formed a single file, circled the basket and were finally “cleansed" after being swept with two live chickens while the attendees chanted in Yoruba.
“This is being done for the good of society, so that there is no conflict or violence, so that there is harmony and health,” said Eraimy León, a 43-year-old babalawo.
Santeria priests, also known as Babalawos, perform a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Santeria priests, also known as Babalawos, perform a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Santeria priests, also known as Babalawo, eat after a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Santeria priests, also known as Babalawos, perform a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Santeria priests, also known as Babalawos, perform a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A growing number of Republicans are pressing for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man in Minneapolis, a sign that the Trump administration's accounting of events may face bipartisan scrutiny.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino sought testimony from leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying “my top priority remains keeping Americans safe.”
A host of other congressional Republicans, including Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas and Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, pressed for more information. Their statements, in addition to concern expressed from several Republican governors, reflected a party struggling with how to respond to Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a VA hospital.
Trump administration officials were quick to cast Pretti as the instigator. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was among those who said Pretti “approached” immigration officers with a gun and acted violently. Videos from the scene show Pretti being pushed by an officer and then a half-dozen agents descend on him. During the scuffle, he is holding a phone but is never seen brandishing the 9mm semiautomatic handgun police say he was licensed to carry.
The killing has raised uncomfortable questions about the GOP's core positions on issues ranging from gun ownership to states' rights and trust in the federal government.
Cassidy, who is facing a Trump-backed challenger in his reelection bid, said on social media that the shooting was “incredibly disturbing” and that the “credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake.” He pushed for “a full joint federal and state investigation.” Tillis, who is not seeking reelection, urged a “thorough and impartial investigation” and said “any administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy.”
Murkowski called for an investigation and added that “ICE agents do not have carte blanche in carrying out their duties.” Collins, the only incumbent Republican senator facing reelection in a state Democrat Kamala Harris carried in 2024, said a probe is needed “to determine whether or not excessive force was used in a situation that may have been able to be diffused without violence.”
While calling for protesters to “keep space” from law enforcement and not interfere, Collins said federal law enforcement must "recognize both the public’s right to protest and the highly charged situation they now face.”
Even Sen. Pete Ricketts, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, called for a “prioritized, transparent investigation.”
“My support for funding ICE remains the same,” the Nebraska Republican, who is up for reelection, said online. “But we must also maintain our core values as a nation, including the right to protest and assemble.”
Trump and other administration officials remained firm in their defense of the hard-line immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis, blaming Democrats in the state along with local law enforcement for not working with them. Many Republicans either echoed that sentiment or stayed silent.
In a lengthy social media post on Sunday evening, Trump called on Minnesota's Democratic leadership to “formally cooperate” with his administration and pressed Congress to ban so-called sanctuary cities.
Trump has enjoyed nearly complete loyalty from fellow Republicans during his first year back in the White House. But the positions staked out in the wake of the shooting signal the administration will face at least some pushback within the party in its swift effort to define Pretti, who protested Trump’s immigration crackdown, as a violent demonstrator.
Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller issued social media posts referencing an “assassin” and “domestic terrorist" while Noem said Pretti showed up to “impede a law enforcement operation.”
At a minimum, some Republicans are calling for a de-escalation in Minneapolis.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the shooting was a “real tragedy” and Trump needs to define an “end game.”
“Nobody likes the feds coming to their states,” Stitt said. “And so what is the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-U.S. citizen? I don’t think that’s what Americans want.”
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said the shooting was “not acceptable.”
“At best, these federal immigration operations are a complete failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices, training and leadership,” he said in a post. “At worst, it's deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens.”
Echoing criticism that local law enforcement isn’t cooperating with federal officials, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., suggested the administration focus its immigration efforts elsewhere.
“If I were President Trump, I would almost think about if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way and there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide do we want to continue to have all these illegals?” he told “Sunday Morning Futures” on the Fox News Channel. “I think the people of Minnesota would rebel against their leadership.”
Pretti's killing comes at a sensitive moment for the GOP as the party prepares for a challenging midterm election year. Trump has fomented a sense of chaos on the world stage, bringing the NATO alliance to the brink last week. Domestically, Trump has struggled to respond to widespread affordability concerns.
Meanwhile, approval of his handling of immigration — long a political asset for the president and the GOP — has tumbled. Just 38% of U.S. adults approved of how Trump was handling immigration in January, down from 49% in March, according to an AP-NORC poll.
The killing spurred notable tension with the GOP's long-standing support for gun rights. Officials say Pretti was armed, but no bystander videos that have surfaced so far appear to show him holding a weapon. The Minneapolis police chief said Pretti had a permit to carry a gun.
Yet administration officials, including Noem and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have questioned why he was armed. Speaking on ABC's “This Week" Bessent said that when he has attended protests, “I didn't bring a gun. I brought a billboard.”
Such comments were notable for a party where support for the Second Amendment's protection of gun ownership is foundational. Indeed, many in the GOP, including Trump, lifted Kyle Rittenhouse into prominence when the then-17-year-old former police youth cadet shot three men, killing two of them, during a 2020 protest in Wisconsin against police brutality. He was acquitted of all charges after testifying that he acted in self defense.
In the wake of Pretti's killing, gun rights advocates noted that it is legal to carry firearms during protests.
“Every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms — including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their First Amendment rights,” the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said in a statement. “These rights do not disappear when someone is lawfully armed.”
In a social media post, the National Rifle Association said “responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is often critical of the White House, said “carrying a firearm is not a death sentence.”
“It's a Constitutionally protected God-given right,” he said, "and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.
The second-ranking Justice Department official said he was aware of reports that Pretti was lawfully armed.
“There’s nothing wrong with anybody lawfully carrying firearms,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on “Meet the Press” on NBC. “But just make no mistake about it, this was an incredibly split-second decision that had to be made by ICE officers.”
Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., leans in to hear a question as he speaks to reporters after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not appear for a deposition as part of the panel's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and those connected to him, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Scott Bessent, US Secretary of the Treasury speaks during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Senator Thom Tillis speaks during a panel session at the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
