The Minneapolis man who was shot by an ICE agent in the viral video has been identified as ICU nurse and upstanding member of his community, Alex Pretti. The 37-year-old appears in the video being restrained by many officials, including Border Patrol, and he allegedly reached for his gun to protect himself and was shot three times.
Protests in Minneapolis
Another fatal incident involving ICE in Minneapolis has shocked the nation. The community is shaken and heartbroken, fearing they may be next. The fatal shooting of Pretti is said to have multiple and clashing narratives. The Department of Homeland Security said the killing was in self-defense. However, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz challenges that statement, calling it “nonsense” and “lies.”
Police report that Pretti is a lawful gun owner and is permitted to conceal carry. He was exercising his 2nd Amendment right to protect himself, a right the Trump administration boasts about. Minnesota authorities filed a lawsuit against the current administration, claiming its officials “took from the scene” and prevented an investigation from ensuing.
Anti-ICE protests are filling the streets of Minneapolis, many braving the frigid temperatures, marching together as a community to show their disdain for cold-blooded murder. Following Pretti’s shooting, an angry crowd of people began confronting the agents, and in response, they were tear-gassed.
The Trump Administration Supports Murder
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a “how-to” graphic on X to show people how easy it is “to avoid I.C.E.” The highly inappropriate graphic posted by a government official shows a White male ICE agent posing with an American flag in the background and a list of 3 rules. “1. Don’t be here illegally. 2. Don’t attack I.C.E. officers. 3. Obey federal and state laws,” the graphic reads. This post comes shortly after the murder of Alexi Pretti, and Hegseth ironically blames Minnesota leadership for allowing “lunatics in the streets.”
The Trump administration continues to back up the federal agents who are murdering citizens in the streets of Minneapolis. Hegseth and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt show their support by posting and reposting on social media. One post Leavitt shared from her personal account was insinuating Pretti deserved to die because he was protesting within his community.
“I would simply just not wake up on a Saturday morning, dress up like a militia character, arm myself with a gun, and go try to stop ICE from arresting a convicted domestic abuser,” it read.
Upstanding Citizen Alex Pretti
Alex Pretti was described as “the fabric” of Minneapolis. He had been on the streets on Friday as one of thousands of non-violent protestors. He was calling for ICE to leave their community when a Border Patrol agent shot him.
“He was an ICU nurse. He was a worker like myself,” his next-door neighbor, Chris Gray, told CNN. “He was part of the fabric of my community, along with immigrants and many other people who represent our neighborhood, and the people destroying our neighborhood are these ICE agents who are running around, out of control, who have done nothing to make my life safer, done nothing to make my life better.”
Gray refuted the statements made by Border Patrol Command-at-Large Gregory Bovino that Pretti was attempting to “massacre law enforcement.” Gray said that Pretti was calling for an end to the deportations without due process and should be remembered as a member of the “mass non-violent community resistance.”
Gray warns the public that “Everything they say about my neighbors is a lie,” referencing the Trump administration. “These are ordinary people who are trying to keep their neighborhood together and to stay whole.”
“The whole community is standing together against this occupation of ICE, which is part of a divide and roll tactic that the Trump regime is pushing on us because they have no answers for the real issues that working-class people face,” Gray concluded.
