The Tragic Death of Alex Pretti: A Fatal Shooting
By Rebeca Funes
On January 24, 2026, Alex Pretti lost his life in the hands of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old intensive care nurse for the Minneapolis United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System. His death marks the second ICE fatality this month.
Alex Pretti was recording the agents, observing, and attempting to direct traffic. Moments later, Pretti stood between a federal agent and a woman who was pushed to the ground by an agent. He was then pepper-sprayed and tackled to the ground by multiple agents, with six of them surrounding him as he was shot and killed.
According to a report given to Congress by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a border patrol agent attempted to take Pretti into custody. Pretti then resisted, and a struggle ensued. Another agent yelled “He’s got a gun!” multiple times when two agents shot their gun issued by Customs Border Protection at Pretti. Subsequently, a border patrol agent secured a firearm that Pretti had and put it in his vehicle.
However, this information directly contradicts the initial accounts from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where they said that the agents shot in self-defense. In these statements made during a press conference, the DHS stated that Alex Pretti approached the federal agents with a 9 mm semi-automatic gun and violently resisted when agents tried to disarm him. With this, an agent shot defensive shots, “fearing for his life and the safety of his fellow officers”.
“I don’t believe Alex Pretti posed a threat, but rather as a hero that day. I believe it was an unfair fight and an inhumane, unjustifiable action coming from these agents. I’m not just afraid of what ICE is doing, I’m horrified for the future,” said Ashley Melendez, a sophomore at Barbara Goleman.
It’s important to note that Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara acknowledged that Pretti did have a valid concealed carry permit and was a legal gun owner. It is also important to note that O’Hara stated that Pretti had a criminal record that only included traffic tickets. U.S. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino states that federal agents are constantly under attack and that morning was no different.
Additionally, multiple videos taken from onlookers also contradict the statements made by the DHS and other government agencies. Videos show agents surrounding him, pepper-spraying him, tackling him, and disarming him moments before he was shot. Around 8 to 10 shots were heard, prompting people to call this tragedy an execution.
ICE and U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) were originally in the area due to Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale immigration enforcement operation by the DHS in Minnesota. However, with the death of Alex Pretti, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey plans to draw back ICE agents in the area.
“We need Operation Metro Surge to end. It is not about creating safety in Minneapolis. If the goal was to find an antidote to chaos, there would be a very straightforward answer, which is to end Metro Surge, remove the federal agents,” said Jacob Frey to CBS News on January 29th.
Not only that, but the Trump administration’s response to Pretti’s death has caused public outrage in both republicans and democrats. With Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, alleging that Pretti approached the agents armed mere hours after his death, and Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, calling Pretti a “would-be assassin” and a “domestic terrorist” on the popular app X, both parties are criticizing Trump’s handling of the situation.
This criticism goes further than just the public and our government. Senators met on January 28th with both republicans and democrats agreeing that a funding bill for the DHS can not be passed in its current state, at least not with policy changes.
“The Trump Administration did not handle the situation correctly. Not only is the information they’re stating wrong, but it is just blatant disrespect. In the past, ICE agents have opened fire on innocent civilians with little to no repercussions. It shows where our country is headed,” stated Isaias Nieves, a junior at MLEC.
The death of Alex Pretti is a tragedy, one that should have never happened. Both agents who shot at Pretti are on administrative leave pending investigations. As violence escalates and more casualties happen, questions around the way ICE and DHS are handling detainments rise.
