MN - Alex Pretti dead after Minneapolis shooting involving immigration agents, US media report, January 24, 2026

[Inthedetails]

This is about the shooting of Alex Pretti specifically and the investigation about what happened.

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.

Republican calls are growing for a deeper investigation into fatal Minneapolis shooting of Alex Pretti

Administration officials are firm in their defense of the hard-line immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis and they fault Democrats in the state along with local law enforcement for not working with them.

www.pbs.org

 

[tlcya]

The lies are hard for anyone with eyes connected to a brain to accept.

This comment is about the shooting of Alex Pretti, the topic of this thread:

Republican Sens. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana also publicly called for an investigation into Pretti's death, warning that the Trump administration's "credibility" was at stake.

"The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth," Cassidy wrote on his X account Saturday (January 24).

Prominent Republican Suggests Trump Consider Pulling ICE Out Of Minneapolis | Newsradio 600 KOGO

A prominent Republican suggested that President Donald Trump consider pulling ICE out of Minneapolis after the second fatal shooting by an officer this month.

kogo.iheart.com

and there are those eyes I was referring to, the ones that might have previously looked away. Looking now straight at the administration's response to this (IMO) murder of an American citizen.

 

[Summerliz03]

I think pressure from a large number of Republican congressmen will be the only thing that would push the administration to conduct an investigation into this killing and I hope that more of them continue to speak out. Otherwise, they (Congress) really are not doing the job they were elected to do. IMO.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

They had Alex incapacitated and on the ground, the next step would be searching him for weapons (that's if he was in any way aggressive before they tackled him which he was not). If the agents in your scenario were unable to properly search Alex and then properly communicate among themselves that he got disarmed, then they were incompetent on the most basic level. Literally more incompetent that any policeman fresh out of training.

Absolutely, we see it time and time again, situations escalating because of poorly trained officers. Even to the point of death. If you can't subdue someone without that person getting shot 10 times, especially with a team of 5 or 6, you have no business being on the force.

 

[JennieM]

he was an emergency care nurse, just trying to help someone. he was not an immigrant, he was a white american - which obviously shouldn’t matter but to some people sadly it will. it’s on video and the behavior of ICE is chilling, the “boo hoo” after taking a life. i don’t see how anyone can defend this unless they are so invested in believing lies just because that’s what they want to believe. unfortunately it seems like there are still plenty of people like that, but i hope with all my heart most people will see this was wrong, so wrong.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Thank you this is great info for us to see

With the highest numbers of est unauthorized/illegal immigrant’s residing in states like California Florida and Texas I ask myself why was Minnesota a priority ? Why the large ICE presence in Minneapolis? And why the focus on violence we are not seeing elsewhere

Then I see Pam B’s list of items they want from Walz and if they get those items they will pull ICE out of Minnesota. So was this all ever about immigration ? Or was this whole thing just leverage to extract what they always wanted but are not legally entitled to?

When anybody starts operating outside the law they lose credibility to me. ICE has been out there operating effectively for years without this chaos and violence.
It appears to me they were told to push the envelope in Minnesota - some agents - maybe rogue/ took things toooo far. These agents should be investigated fairly and impartially.
Blind loyalty and supporting unlawfulness in any group, in my mind is not the way to proceed.
If we say the immigrants are here illegally/against the law so they need to go - it only stands to reason that if we have ICE agents also doing things that are illegal - they need to be held accountable too.

JMO

It's clearly political retribution

 

[Inthedetails]

This is about the killing of Alex Pretti, the federal handling of the shooting, and the reaction to the officials' handling:

More than 20 current and former immigration officials told The New York Times of their discontent in the hours following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis....

Current and former ICE officials who spoke with the outlet anonymously said they were “unhappy with the sharp rhetoric” coming from top White House and Homeland Security officials.

One agent with the department told the Times that he had “always given the benefit of the doubt to the government in these situations,” but that he now no longer believed “any of the statements they put out anymore.”

“We lost all trust,” a current ICE official added.

Morale plummeting among ICE agents over long hours, quotas and public hatred: reports

While immigration officers support the Trump administration’s goal of deporting undocumented migrants, many of them have grown ‘disillusioned’ with leadership’s tactics, according to reports

www.independent.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

ICE is on everyone's minds here in Minneapolis​

Ana Faguy
Reporting from Minneapolis

People in Minneapolis are waking up and headed to work again for the first time since Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents.

The sombre mood remains on the streets this Monday.

While ordering a coffee this morning, I asked for a cup of water and the barista asked if I wanted ICE, when I said no he replied: "Good, that's how we like it in Minnesota, no ice".

That's been the response from locals and businesses since we've been here. You don't have to bring up the federal immigration officials' presence, it's on everyone's minds.

We're expecting to see more of that today.

Live updates: Minnesota judge orders ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in court

A Minnesota judge has ordered acting head of ICE Todd Lyons to answer allegations of violating court orders.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Inthedetails]

This is about the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis:

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche went on Fox News Monday morning to attempt to walk back the baseless and absurd claims from many top officials in the Trump administration that Alex Pretti was committing an act of “domestic terrorism” before he was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Top Trump Official Goes Against Kristi Noem’s Comments on Alex Pretti

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche appears to be backtracking his colleagues’ remarks on the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

newrepublic.com

 

[JennieM]

Trump still confident in Homeland Security Secretary Noem - White House

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem retains "the full trust and confidence of the president" and will continue to lead the department.

And offering more details on Tom Homan's visit to Minneapolis later today, Leavitt says in an X post that the "border tsar" will be "managing ICE Operations on the ground" in Minnesota to "continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens".

She adds: "In addition, Tom will coordinate with those leading investigations into the massive, widespread fraud that has resulted in billions of taxpayer dollars being stolen from law-abiding citizens in Minnesota."

Leavitt says Homan is in a unique position to "drop everything and focus solely on Minnesota" and she blames "problems" there on "the lack of cooperation from state and local officials".


Noem praises Trump's decision to bring 'border czar' in

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has publicly backed the decision to send President Trump's "border czar" to Minnesota, following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents.

Trump announced earlier today on Truth Social that he would send Tom Homan to Minnesota.

Quoting his post, Noem wrote on X: "This is good news for peace, security, and accountability in Minneapolis."

She says while working for the Trump administration, Homan has helped with "wide-scale fraud investigations, which have robbed Americans" and that he will "help us to remove even more public safety threats and violent criminal illegal aliens off the of streets of Minneapolis".

Live updates: Minnesota judge orders ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in court

A Minnesota judge has ordered acting head of ICE Todd Lyons to answer allegations of violating court orders.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

Federal court hears arguments on limiting ICE operation in Minneapolis​

Jack Gallop
Reporting from Minneapolis

We're at the US District Court in downtown Minneapolis, where a federal judge is hearing arguments on whether Operation Metro Surge, the immigration operation in Minneapolis, should be temporarily halted.

Minnesota's Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison says he will personally attend, and will argue the federal government is violating the Constitution and laws of the United States by deploying thousands of ICE agents to the state.

The state of Minnesota, and the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, are asking US District Judge Kathleen Menendez to reduce the number of officers and agents, while allowing them to enforce immigration laws within certain limits.

Attorneys for the US Department of Justice have rejected these arguments. They've asked the judge to reject the request, saying, "Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement."

The judge could issue a ruling at any time.

Live updates: Minnesota judge orders ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in court

A Minnesota judge has ordered acting head of ICE Todd Lyons to answer allegations of violating court orders.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Inthedetails]

Federal court hears arguments on limiting ICE operation in Minneapolis​

Jack Gallop
Reporting from Minneapolis

We're at the US District Court in downtown Minneapolis, where a federal judge is hearing arguments on whether Operation Metro Surge, the immigration operation in Minneapolis, should be temporarily halted.

Minnesota's Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison says he will personally attend, and will argue the federal government is violating the Constitution and laws of the United States by deploying thousands of ICE agents to the state.

The state of Minnesota, and the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, are asking US District Judge Kathleen Menendez to reduce the number of officers and agents, while allowing them to enforce immigration laws within certain limits.

Attorneys for the US Department of Justice have rejected these arguments. They've asked the judge to reject the request, saying, "Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement."

The judge could issue a ruling at any time.

Live updates: Minnesota judge orders ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in court

A Minnesota judge has ordered acting head of ICE Todd Lyons to answer allegations of violating court orders.

www.bbc.co.uk

Thank you! I've been trying to find the time for this hearing. Appreciate this update.

jmo

 

[JennieM]

What do we know about Trump's 'border tsar' Tom Homan?​

IMAGE SOURCE, EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

As we've just heard, Donald Trump is sending the man in charge of the country's borders to Minnesota - here's a quick reminder of what we know about Tom Homan:

• The 64-year-old began his career as a New York state police officerbefore serving as a border patrol agent
• He was appointed to head the deportation branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by former President Barack Obama in 2013
• In the second week of his first presidency, Trump appointed Homan as acting director of ICE, a role he continued in until resigning in 2018
• The US president nominated Homan to become the agency's permanent director, but the Senate never voted on the nomination
• Before returning to Trump's second administration, Homan became a regular commentator on Fox News
• Upon being appointed by Trump, Homan vowed to slash federal funding to states that do not cooperate with the president's plans for mass deportations of undocumented migrants
• More recently, after the killing of protestor Renee Good in Minneapolis, Homan told CBS News that he did not want to "pre-judge" the facts but stressed "the brave men and women of ICE are heroes" and said "like all Americans, our officers have a right to self defence"

Live updates: Minnesota judge orders ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in court

A Minnesota judge has ordered acting head of ICE Todd Lyons to answer allegations of violating court orders.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Summerliz03]

DBM - double post from Jenni’s post about this article

 

[Inthedetails]

Thank you! I've been trying to find the time for this hearing. Appreciate this update.

jmo

Live updates of today's hearing (Jan 26)

Alex Pretti shooting: Obamas and Clinton speak out on fatal Minneapolis killing

The Obamas urged the Trump administration to ‘reconsider’ their approach to immigration enforcement

www.independent.co.uk

 

[otto]

The thing is, he doesn't get to decide. With due respect, Otto, America has a Constitution that guarantees certain rights. Those rights are codified in that document and cannot be changed at the whims of any administration. The only thing that changes the Constitution is an amendment. An amendment requires 2/3 of the House of Representatives and 2/3 of the Senate. THEN, it goes to the states and has to be supported by 38 states.

So the ICE department can say whatever they want. It doesn't make it true.

Americans are Constitutionally guaranteed the right to protest and to observe public law enforcement. They are also guaranteed the right to ask questions. Unless someone can point out exactly what this gentlemen did that "interfered" with federal law enforcement, I call bull on what the administration is saying.



I disagree entirely. What I see on that video starts with ICE putting their hand on a protestor and ends with a US citizen dead. There is no published backstory about interference. In America, protestors are allowed to shout at law enforcement so confrontation or not is not justification for anything that followed.

MOO.

There's also federal law, which prohibits willfully interfering with a federal law enforcement agent through the use of intimidation. It is not necessary to demonstrate that force was used against the agent, only to show that someone's willful actions constituted interference.

"Section 3056(d) of Title 18 prohibits knowingly and willfully obstructing, resisting, or interfering with a Federal law enforcement agent who is engaged in protective functions. It is a felony under 18 U.S.C. § 111 forcibly to assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with Federal law enforcement officers, including Secret Service agents, in the performance of their duties. Unlike 18 U.S.C. § 111, 18 U.S.C. § 3056(d) appears to require proof of knowledge of the victim's official status. Compare the similar distinction drawn between 18 U.S.C. § 111 and 26 U.S.C. § 7212 in United States v. Rybicki, 403 F.2d 599 (6th Cir. 1968). In prosecutions under 18 U.S.C. § 3056, it is not necessary to show that the defendant used force against a Federal law enforcement agent. It would suffice to show that the defendant's willful action constituted an obstruction or resistance to or interference with, the performance of the protective duties of a Federal law enforcement agent. See S. Rep. No. 1252, 91st Cong., 2d Sess. 14 (1970). This statute authorizes Secret Service agents to arrest persons who engage in activities which could nullify or reduce the effectiveness of security precautions taken by the Secret Service, without requiring proof that such interference was forcible or aggressive. Section 3056(d) applies only to those protective functions enumerated therein."

https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1562-obstruction-secret-service-18-usc-3056d

 

[Cryptic]

I think pressure from a large number of Republican congressmen will be the only thing that would push the administration to conduct an investigation into this killing and I hope that more of them continue to speak out. Otherwise, they (Congress) really are not doing the job they were elected to do. IMO.

Hoping that push leads to a temporary (key word) stand down on enforcement activities while additional training is developed centered on dealing with protesters while still making arrests.

 

[tlcya]

There's also federal law, which prohibits willfully interfering with a federal law enforcement agent through the use of intimidation. It is not necessary to demonstrate that force was used against the agent, only to show that someone's willful actions constituted interference.

"Section 3056(d) of Title 18 prohibits knowingly and willfully obstructing, resisting, or interfering with a Federal law enforcement agent who is engaged in protective functions. It is a felony under 18 U.S.C. § 111 forcibly to assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with Federal law enforcement officers, including Secret Service agents, in the performance of their duties. Unlike 18 U.S.C. § 111, 18 U.S.C. § 3056(d) appears to require proof of knowledge of the victim's official status. Compare the similar distinction drawn between 18 U.S.C. § 111 and 26 U.S.C. § 7212 in United States v. Rybicki, 403 F.2d 599 (6th Cir. 1968). In prosecutions under 18 U.S.C. § 3056, it is not necessary to show that the defendant used force against a Federal law enforcement agent. It would suffice to show that the defendant's willful action constituted an obstruction or resistance to or interference with, the performance of the protective duties of a Federal law enforcement agent. See S. Rep. No. 1252, 91st Cong., 2d Sess. 14 (1970). This statute authorizes Secret Service agents to arrest persons who engage in activities which could nullify or reduce the effectiveness of security precautions taken by the Secret Service, without requiring proof that such interference was forcible or aggressive. Section 3056(d) applies only to those protective functions enumerated therein."

https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1562-obstruction-secret-service-18-usc-3056d

So I guess that brings us back to debating did Alex Pretti's presence on the street that day observing and filming agents constitute interfering with a federal agent engaged in protective functions? Was the act of filming interference, intimidation, impeding, assaulting or otherwise hampering them in their jobs?

Because I don't think the act of being present at some distance and filming constitutes any of those bolded things. JM own very strong O

ETA and for those who might answer yes, the victim was doing those things - what differentiates this agency from secret police if the public cannot observe and film their actions without being labelled domestic terrorists and summarily shot?

 

[Inthedetails]

Regarding the killing of Alex Pretti, more voices are not believing it was justified.

A group of current and former employees at the Department of Health and Human Services issued an open letter to the U.S. Senate condemning the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti.
“As current and former Department of Health and Human Services staff, we are deeply shaken by the execution of our colleague, Alex Pretti, on January 24, 2026. This loss of life reflects a growing public health crisis as a result of the actions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” the letter reads. “We cannot pursue our mission to improve the health and well-being of all Americans while DHS agents are murdering, assaulting, and terrorizing people who call this country home.”

Alex Pretti shooting: Obamas and Clinton speak out on fatal Minneapolis killing

The Obamas urged the Trump administration to ‘reconsider’ their approach to immigration enforcement

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Inthedetails]

So I guess that brings us back to debating did Alex Pretti's presence on the street that day observing and filming agents constitute interfering with a federal agent engaged in protective functions? Was the act of filming interference, intimidation, impeding, assaulting or otherwise hampering them in their jobs?

Because I don't think the act of being present at some distance and filming constitutes any of those bolded things. JM own very strong O

Unless you believe that agents walking toward people to shove women on the ground was "their job" and Alex hampered them from doing more shoving.

And I don't think Alex hampered them; he was assisting the woman. The agents had the opportunity to back off and didn't.


jmopinion