MEDICAL EXAMINER RULES ALEX PRETTI DEATH A HOMICIDE -1 - dead after Minneapolis shooting involving immigration agents, US Jan 24, 2026

[J. J. in Phila]

Undocumented immigrants pay more than $200 million in Minnesota taxes each year, according to a July 2024 report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Nationwide, undocumented migrants pay close to $100 billion in taxes annually when including federal receipts.

MCLA Message on Undocumented Immigrants

A message from Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs Executive Director Rosa Tock on the myths surrounding undocumented immigrants.

mn.gov

They quoted the same source that I just noted: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) - InfluenceWatch

 

[Inthedetails]

bbm


$45 billion will go to detention centers. Each person captured stays about 47 days before they are deported, costing $7,065 per person.

For perspective, the average rent in Minnesota is $1,600 a month....

The Twin Cities operation adds up to at least $360,000 a night in hotel bills. That's more than $10 million for a 30-night stay.

What is the cost of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minnesota?

It's a question many people have been asking: What is the cost of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minnesota? WCCO was able to get some numbers.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Inthedetails]

This is just one snippet, but the entire article is worth the read.


The 10th Amendment bars the Trump administration from using ICE to force state and local governments to give up their sanctuary policies

[T]he Justice Department claims the administration is not trying to coerce Minnesota state and local governments, but merely enforcing the law. But this claim is refuted by administration officials’ numerous statements to the contrary. And if the administration were truly focused on law enforcement, its agents would not be constantly breaking the law themselves. Moreover, there is no other plausible justification for such a massive federal deployment in a state where the percentage of illegal migrants is only about half the national average.

https://www.cato.org/commentary/minnesotas-compelling-10th-amendment-case-against-trumps-ice-surge

 

[J. J. in Phila]

This is just one snippet, but the entire article is worth the read.


The 10th Amendment bars the Trump administration from using ICE to force state and local governments to give up their sanctuary policies

[T]he Justice Department claims the administration is not trying to coerce Minnesota state and local governments, but merely enforcing the law. But this claim is refuted by administration officials’ numerous statements to the contrary. And if the administration were truly focused on law enforcement, its agents would not be constantly breaking the law themselves. Moreover, there is no other plausible justification for such a massive federal deployment in a state where the percentage of illegal migrants is only about half the national average.

https://www.cato.org/commentary/minnesotas-compelling-10th-amendment-case-against-trumps-ice-surge

I would not listen to CATO on this. States cannot do foreign policy: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-954_7l48.pdf

 

[Inthedetails]

Regarding the Federal judge in Minnesota (Republican-appointed, fwiw) and the issue of the administration ignoring court orders, bbm:

What he is calling out, in his particular case, is that the court is ordering someone to be released from ICE detention, and the government’s not releasing them. It’s that significant—fundamental liberty is at stake. And then he is referring to seventy-three other cases that all include possible habeas-corpus violations, i.e., very similar patterns of either the court ordering the government to release somebody and them not being released, or the court ordering the government to present the person to the court physically, and them not being allowed to leave detention, or the court ordering someone not to be taken out of its jurisdiction. That’s the very definition of habeas corpus—to bring the body to the court. And they haven’t been doing that. There’s another very pernicious pattern that arises in these cases, which is that the court orders the government not to transfer the individual out of their jurisdiction, and the government goes ahead and transfers them out of their jurisdiction anyway, often to Texas, where there’s a more favorable judicial climate, which can effectively deny the person their real rights before the court in Minnesota....

What’s happening in the courtroom is part of a broader slide towards lawlessness, because defiance of court orders is connected to another ICE policy: the agency repeatedly states that its entire system of arrest is based on reasonable suspicion. And that is legally invalid because arrests have to be based on probable cause.....

It is also important to note that D.H.S. has authorized ICE agents to enter homes without a judicial warrant. To me, these two policies are putting ICE operations on the road to a very different form of legal system than the one we’re used to. They’re breaking rules. ....

It’s even become very hard for us, as a research team, to catalogue all the times the Administration has defied court orders, because it is now happening at such a high number across the country.


more at: Is ICE Leading Us Into a Constitutional Crisis?

 

[Inthedetails]

If ICE were going after only the worst-of-the-worst criminals as initially promised, there would be NO PROTESTS and Alex Pretti would be alive.

My opinion

Edited to add:
[C]hanges in arrest practices have led to a 2,450% increase in the number of people with no criminal record being held in ICE detention on any given day.

New Report Details ICE’s Expanding and Increasingly Unaccountable Detention System - American Immigration Council

In just one year, the number of people ICE is detaining has shot up by over 75%, with a record 73,000 people detained as of mid-January.

www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org

 

[zleuther]

Some of us are discussing the Alex Pretti murder, not quite sure if that's allowed in this thread but I'll give it a shot...

It's very significant that [ProPublica] spoke to [Angelica Ochoa] cuz any reporter would indeed ask "You've seen the videos so you would recognize if that's him. Is it?"

Specifically the Kayla Schultz video.

This has video thru her windshield near point blank, and I clearly see a masked goon whose fashion sense is patterned after the Village People Construction Worker. Add the sunglasses and you basically have the dime store novelty toy fake nose fake mustache look.

Point being, if Angelica Ochoa doesn't know who that is, then we can rest assured ProPublica got the names wrong.

Otherwise, we can proceed to identify Gutierrez too. He's the one always with pepper spray, and a penchant for assaulting women like when he starts this whole thing.

I predict we'll hear it's Gutierrez with an Axon 4. I predict we'll never see that video his cam recorded, but he'll go to prison anyway. I don't see an Axon 4 on Ochoa. When he goes to prison, prolly be a little ticked off at Gutierrez.

IMO

 

[georgiajean]

We should judge this, because this a "left leaning group" Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) - InfluenceWatch

I am weary of this dialogue, and realize this has strayed far from the killing of Alex Pretti, which I think was unjustified and the agents who killed him and Renee Good should be brought to justice.

ICE is out of hand, Minnesota is under siege by our own government, and the rule of law is disintegrating.
ALL MOO.

 

[SouthAussie]

In the twin city .....

• St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her signed an ordinance Thursday that prohibits federal law enforcement from conducting enforcement staging on city-owned property.
• The ordinance also prohibits "operational activity" on city-owned property.
• A cease-and-desist letter has been codified to direct federal law enforcement off city-owned property.

St. Paul mayor signs ordinance to prohibit ICE from being on city property

 

[Lonicera]

I am weary of this dialogue, and realize this has strayed far from the killing of Alex Pretti, which I think was unjustified and the agents who killed him and Renee Good should be brought to justice.

ICE is out of hand, Minnesota is under siege by our own government, and the rule of law is disintegrating.
ALL MOO.

But how are these ICE agents recruited?
A Texan friend told me that the selection had been non-existent, that they had to hire outside the usual criteria. Is that true?

 

[georgiajean]

But how are these ICE agents recruited?
A Texan friend told me that the selection had been non-existent, that they had to hire outside the usual criteria. Is that true?

As far as we know (bases on what has been shared in this thread), the agents responsible for killing Alex and Renee were all well-seasoned ICE agents, not the new recruits who onboarded in the past year. Watching videos of ICE operations in Minnesota, I wondered if the new recruits have made things more chaotic?

 

[SouthAussie]

But how are these ICE agents recruited?
A Texan friend told me that the selection had been non-existent, that they had to hire outside the usual criteria. Is that true?

I put an article up a week or so ago. An anti-ICE reporter applied for an ICE job, didn't complete and submit most of the 'required' paperwork, and was hired by ICE. (She declined the position)

She applied for the job at an ICE Career Expo in Texas in August 2025.


She discovered that ICE appeared to have formally offered her a job even though she had not submitted key documents, including a domestic violence affidavit, background check authorization, or identification details.

“DHS probably has no idea whether ICE offered me a job, which is kind of the point of the article: they have no idea what they’re doing,” she told the Guardian.

Anti-Trump US reporter says she was offered job at ICE after ‘minimal vetting’

Slate journalist Laura Jedeed documented hiring process and said she got offer despite not completing paperwork

www.theguardian.com

 

[branmuffin]

If it is under the table, they don't pay taxes. That is the point.

But they are in the minority and the reality is, lots of people who engage in an underground economy aren't illegal aliens, they are true blue Americans able to game the system. I used to go to this restaurant in NYC where the wait staff PAID the owner 10 bucks a shift to work there. That's how much they made in tips. It was worth it for both parties; they paid a minimum amount to work in a very popular restaurant and the owner didn't have to do much paperwork. I would presume that there were lots of places like that before Covid came and changed the restaurant world forever. I've even hear of of maitre' d's in high end restaurants pay the owner to work there because of the exclusivity of the restaurant.

 

[branmuffin]

No, because illegal immigrants don't have SSN's and don't pay taxes.

Please don't confuse people that are here legally, working with SSN's, with people who are working without an SSN and not paying taxes.

Yes, they do! I just explained it to you. They are issued ITINs and work with that number to register their earning with the IRS. Where do you think the stats for income revenue from illegal immigrants come from? You keep talking about a felony being in the states illegally when it's actually a civil issue and as I said before the wheels of the federal government turn very slowly so these illegals requesting refugee status or are trying to become legal have to work. Of course, some of them work under the table but that isn't anything exclusive to illegal immigrants. Many have let their visas lapse, some are in the US on student visas and need to work. There's lots of reasons why people in the US whether they are bona fide citizens or not require an ITIN.

The Facts About the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) - American Immigration Council

The Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a tax processing number issued by the IRS to ensure that people pay taxes even if they do not have a Social Security number (SSN).

www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org

 

[branmuffin]

We should judge this, because this a "left leaning group" Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) - InfluenceWatch

That has nothing to do with what we're talking about.

 

[keek]

Yes, they do! I just explained it to you. They are issued ITINs and work with that number to register their earning with the IRS. Where do you think the stats for income revenue from illegal immigrants come from? You keep talking about a felony being in the states illegally when it's actually a civil issue and as I said before the wheels of the federal government turn very slowly so these illegals requesting refugee status or are trying to become legal have to work. Of course, some of them work under the table but that isn't anything exclusive to illegal immigrants. Many have let their visas lapse, some are in the US on student visas and need to work. There's lots of reasons why people in the US whether they are bona fide citizens or not require an ITIN.

The Facts About the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) - American Immigration Council

The Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a tax processing number issued by the IRS to ensure that people pay taxes even if they do not have a Social Security number (SSN).

www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org

Ya taxes are paid ! I live where a lot of employees of businesses are what are called ‘illegal’ immigrants and the people I know def are paying taxes. There are people to help and support. Clearly not here to be the gangsters and criminals some paint them all as. Imo !