Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Saturday. The White House has stated that President Donald Trump is reviewing the incident, while video evidence contradicts the administration’s claim that Pretti approached officers with a gun.
Immediate Action & Core Facts
Key Developments:
- Pretti was shot after a confrontation with federal agents during a protest in Minneapolis, marking the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by immigration officers in the city this month.
- Video footage shows Pretti holding a phone, not a gun, as officers wrestled him to the ground before removing a firearm from his waistband and fatally shooting him.
Deeper Dive & Context
Official Statements and Reactions
The White House has defended the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blaming Minnesota’s Democratic leaders for the escalation. Meanwhile, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that his administration is reviewing the incident but declined to comment on whether the officer acted appropriately.
Former Vice President Mike Pence called the footage of the shooting “deeply troubling” and urged a full investigation. A growing number of Republicans, including Sens. Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski, have also called for a deeper probe into federal immigration tactics in Minnesota.
Political and Policy Implications
Sen. Amy Klobuchar delayed her gubernatorial campaign launch to focus on de-escalating tensions in Minnesota, urging the Trump administration to end its immigration crackdown in the state. Senate Democrats have threatened to block Department of Homeland Security funding unless new guardrails for immigration enforcement are implemented, risking a government shutdown.
Minneapolis City Council member Aisha Chughtai condemned the federal presence, stating that ICE has become the “number one deadly killer of Minneapolitans.” Protests have erupted across the city, with demonstrators demanding accountability and an end to federal immigration operations.
Tech Industry Response
While top tech CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Amazon’s Andy Jassy, remained silent, some industry leaders, such as former Meta AI chief Yann LeCun and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, have spoken out against the shooting. LeCun called the agents “murderers,” while Hoffman emphasized the need for humanity to transcend politics.
Ongoing Investigations
A federal judge is set to hear arguments on whether to halt immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota. Meanwhile, an FBI supervisor who sought to investigate the earlier fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good has resigned, raising further questions about transparency in the investigations.