Minneapolis immigration crackdown draws national outrage after federal agents fatally shoot US citizen amid protests and video evidence
The Trump administration faced mounting criticism on Sunday over its mass immigration operation in Minneapolis after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, the second US citizen to die in similar circumstances in less than three weeks.
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The shooting occurred on Saturday morning on an icy city roadway.
Federal officials quickly claimed Pretti intended to harm the agents and said a pistol was recovered from him.
However, a video widely circulated on social media and verified by US media showed Pretti never drawing a weapon, with agents firing approximately ten shots seconds after he was sprayed with a chemical irritant and thrown to the ground.
Pretti’s parents condemned what they described as “sickening lies” about their son’s death, challenging officials’ characterisation of him as an “assassin.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, speaking to Fox News on Sunday, expressed personal grief for the family while continuing to defend the agents’ actions.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC’s Meet the Press that a thorough investigation was essential.
“I do not know. And nobody else knows, either. That’s why we’re doing an investigation,” he said when asked whether the pistol had already been removed from Pretti when shots were fired.
Calls for a joint probe grew louder on Sunday, including from Republican senators urging collaboration between federal and state authorities.
Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said a “full joint federal and state investigation” was necessary.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, reiterated that the federal government “cannot be trusted to lead this investigation” and insisted the state would take the lead.
The shooting has intensified local tensions as thousands of federal immigration agents have operated in Minneapolis for weeks under “Operation Metro Surge.”
The deployment, targeting alleged fraud among Somali immigrants, has sparked protests and clashes with officers, as residents carry whistles to warn one another of agents’ presence.
A federal judge late on Saturday ordered the Trump administration not to destroy or alter evidence relating to the Pretti killing.
Local authorities have filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to suspend the operation, with hearings scheduled for Monday.
National concern over the crackdown has grown, with former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama condemning the killing.
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In a joint statement, they warned it should serve as a “wake-up call” that core US values “are increasingly under assault,” and urged the Trump administration to work with state authorities to de-escalate tensions.
