On Saturday morning, a Veteran’s Affairs ICU Nurse Was Beaten, Kicked, Pepper Sprayed, Then Shot At Least Five Times By ICE Agents

See our previous coverage of events in Minnesota here and about the mayor of Minneapolis here.  

The young man’s name was Alex Pretti, and his family’s GoFundMe page has raised over $700k to help them with funeral expenses and other costs.  But their grief and loss are unimaginable.

While ICE authorities and spokespersons, including Kristi Noem and the president, stated that Mr. Pretti attacked the agents, this is not what experts in video forensics or legal consultants have said the videos may  show, according to an interview with the police chief, statements from experts, and experienced lawyers.

As of now, the investigation is in the very beginning phases and in the hands of the federal government, which is blocking local authorities and not allowing them to participate according to the police chief.  At this point, Minnesota’s governor is very upset.  He has stated in a live conference that the state will make a full investigation and press charges on the ICE agent(s) involved itself.  Unlike a federal investigation and conviction, if the agents are convicted by Minnesota, a presidential pardon would not happen.  If the case was prosecuted federally, a pardon would be possible.

Keeping in mind that this just happened, any statements by spokespeople are very premature, especially with such broad sweeping conclusions before any investigation has occurred.

While Mr. Pretti was armed, he was legally permitted to carry a firearm in the location and environment that he was in.  There is no evidence that he was pointing the gun at agents at the outset, nor that he reached for his gun.  Having additional magazines, according to the police chief, was within his rights.

See below for a statement from New York’s Governor Hochul calling for the resignation of the Dept of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem, a statement on DHS funding from Senator Gillibrand, along with a statement from the National Rifle Association calling for an investigation, which is also echoed by ACLU’s local and national chapters. Also see below for an announcement for a meeting in an hour at 7pm tonight for moms across the country to talk about this issue.  

Governor Hochul Calls on Secretary Noem to Resign and Delivers Remarks in Response to Fatal Ice Shooting in Minnesota

 

Governor Hochul: “This is a continuation of a deadly pattern, a pattern of violence. It is well known that earlier this month, federal agents also shot a mother of three in the face when she just extended a greeting to him. Two American families destroyed; confidence in federal law enforcement shattered… Don’t stop believing what your eyes tell you. Their cruelty, these instances, what is going on and unfolding in streets of America today shocks the conscience of every human being with a heart.”

 

Hochul: “When federal agents use lethal force against civilians and then prevent state authorities from fully investigating, it violates the basic principles of a democracy… Kristi Noem has forfeited her right to lead, and I’m calling on her to resign as Secretary of Homeland Security or Donald Trump to do the right thing and just fire her. And if not, she must be removed or impeached. And Gregory Bovino — who has helped lead, and defend and escalate these operations — should also be fired.”

 

A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

I need to speak plainly about something that should stop every American in their tracks. Yesterday in Minneapolis, federal immigration agents killed another American citizen in broad daylight. His name was Alex Pretti. He was 37 years old. He was an ICU nurse, someone whose job was saving lives. Video shows him doing something he was trained to do — to help people.

He was trying to reach over and help a woman in need when she was thrown to the ground by federal agents. And within seconds, federal agents threw him to the ground and fired a shot, not one, but a barrage of bullets into his body on a public sidewalk in America.

The federal government claims the killing was justified. This nurse with nothing more than his cell phone in his hand, that he was trying to kill them — that’s their story. But anyone who’s seen this horrific video, multiple videos, knows that this is a shameless, boldface lie. This is not a threat that needed to be neutralized. It was a civilian exercising the free right to protest.

And this is a continuation of a deadly pattern, a pattern of violence. It is well known that earlier this month, federal agents also shot a mother of three in the face when she just extended a greeting to him. Two American families destroyed; confidence in federal law enforcement shattered.

At the same time, ICE agents are arresting children — a 5-year-old returning from preschool — using them as bait. A 2-year-old taken on the way home from a grocery store with her dad. Now we have children caught up in armed engagement, scooped off the street by masked men while our federal leaders feed the false narratives instead of taking responsibility.

But videos don’t lie. And don’t stop believing what your eyes tell you. Their cruelty, these instances, what is going on and unfolding in streets of America today shocks the conscience of every human being with a heart.

When federal agents use lethal force against civilians and then prevent state authorities from fully investigating, it violates the basic principles of a democracy. What it does is makes everyone feel unsafe — everyone. Nationwide over the last 13 months, ICE has detained hundreds of U.S. citizens, and dozens of people have died in their custody.

Now, Donald Trump’s handpicked leader of the Department of Homeland Security has proven to be unable and unwilling to follow the law to stop these killings. Kristi Noem has referred to these peaceful protestors as “domestic terrorists” and lied about the shooting victims being the aggressors. She told law enforcement officers to put on masks and military fatigues to basically treat the American public as the enemy.

She has shown a profound disregard for human life and created a culture where people feel unrestrained in how they’re handling encounters with the people in this country. Kristi Noem has forfeited her right to lead, and I’m calling on her to resign as Secretary of Homeland Security or Donald Trump to do the right thing and just fire her. And if not, she must be removed or impeached. And Gregory Bovino — who has helped lead, and defend and escalate these operations — should also be fired.

It’s a shame I have to say this in America, but no one is above the law. No one, not an ICE agent, not a federal officer, not the President of the United States. And make no mistake, when these people who have abused the power entrusted to them by their offices are finally out of power, states, including New York, will hold them accountable.

I’ll have more to report on further actions the State of New York will be taking in the upcoming days.

 

 

 

SENATOR GILLIBRAND STATEMENT ON DHS FUNDING BILL

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on the DHS funding bill:

“At a time of rising costs on everything from health care premiums to groceries and utility bills, everyone in the federal government should be working together in a bipartisan way to bring down costs and improve the lives of Americans. 

 

“Instead, President Trump shows every day that he is more interested in literally anything else — whether it is stealing Greenland, increasing costs on Americans through his reckless tariffs, decorating the White House, or blocking critical funding to our communities and small businesses.  

 

“Most alarmingly, this administration has used DHS to terrorize and intimidate American citizens. Simply put, ICE and DHS are out of control. They openly lie to the American people, disregard our constitutional rights, and undermine the trust law enforcement must have to serve and protect the public.

 

“Separating children from families, pepper-spraying pastors, and disrupting local residents and small businesses is unacceptable. The murder of American citizens is intolerable. I cannot and will not support further funding of DHS without increased accountability and reform of the agency.

 

“A government shutdown is completely avoidable. Republicans must join Democrats in advancing the other five funding bills separately and then work in a bipartisan fashion to secure reasonable reforms to restore public safety and trust for any DHS funding bill to move forward.”

 

Sanders Statement: “ICE is Out of Control”

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today released the following statement:

ICE is out of control, ignoring the law and our Constitution. Congress must vote NO on any additional funding for DHS.

Further, here is SOME of what else we must do:

1. Get ICE, CBP and the rest of Trump’s domestic army out of Minnesota and Maine NOW
2. No more warrantless arrests, no more stopping people based on race or because of the languages they speak
3. End qualified immunity for ICE and CBP agents to ensure Americans’ constitutional rights are protected
4. Unmask ICE and CBP agents and require clear identification
5. End detentions and deportations of U.S. Citizens
6. Investigate and prosecute every single DHS officer who broke the law and require DOJ and DHS to cooperate with states and cities investigating immigration agents who broke the law
7. Repeal the $75 billion for ICE and the nearly $65 billion for CBP in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill and restore funding to health care
8. Impose strict standards on all detention centers and hold them accountable for their human rights abuses

ACLU and ACLU of Minnesota Demand Immediate Action After Federal Agents Kill Another Person [US Citizen]

 

MINNEAPOLIS — Saturday, federal agents shot and killed a man in the Eat Street neighborhood of south Minneapolis after brutally beating him in front of witnesses. Video from an on-the-ground reporter reveals that multiple shots were fired, with the agents believed to be standing over the man when he was struck, apparently in his chest. The American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Minnesota strongly condemn this killing and demand these violent and dangerous federal agents immediately withdraw from Minnesota — and other communities across the country.

“Yesterday tens of thousands of Minnesotans from all walks of life marched through the streets in subzero temperatures to demand ICE stop terrorizing our communities, and today we wake up to the heartbreaking news that federal officials killed another person. ,” said Deepinder Mayell, executive director of ACLU of Minnesota. “This tragedy is further proof that these federal agents are out of control and critically endangering our communities. ICE and CBP must end their operations in our city before anyone else is harmed, and an independent investigation must be conducted.”

 

In July 2025, Congress voted to add an unprecedented $170 billion to the Trump administration’s already massive budget for immigration enforcement, which has funded these indiscriminate raids. Congress is now negotiating the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) budget for the coming year, which would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, enabling them to continue their lawless operations across the country without adding any serious limits on their abusive and violent tactics.

“After the horrific shooting of Renee Good, the Trump administration recklessly escalated and deployed even more heavily armed agents into Minneapolis, and, today, we are again seeing the devastating and predictable consequences,” said Naureen Shah, director of immigration policy and government affairs at ACLU. “Congress must rein ICE in before what happened in Minneapolis happens yet again. Senators must reject a DHS budget that allows these lawless agencies to continue putting our communities in danger.”

In recent weeks, the ACLU of Minnesota and its partners filed two lawsuits arising from ICE’s assault on Minnesotans, Hussen v. Noem, challenging the agency’s warrantless arrests and racial profiling, and Tincher v. Noem, a lawsuit challenging ICE violence and misconduct towards Minnesotans exercising their First Amendment rights to assemble, observe, and protest federal agents’ immigration enforcement activities in our streets. Earlier this week, a federal appeals court temporarily suspended the trial court’s order in Tincher blocking the government from retaliating against protestors and observers.

 

 

 

NRA Statement on Minnesota Shooting

Fairfax, VA – The National Rifle Association released the following statement regarding the recent officer-involved shooting in Minnesota:

“For months, radical progressive politicians like Tim Walz have incited violence against law enforcement officers who are simply trying to do their jobs. Unsurprisingly, these calls to dangerously interject oneself into legitimate law-enforcement activities have ended in violence, tragically resulting in injuries and fatalities.

As there is with any officer-involved shooting, there will be a robust and comprehensive investigation that takes place to determine if the use of force was justified. As we await these facts and gain a clearer understanding, we urge the political voices to lower the temperature to ensure their constituents and law enforcement officers stay safe.”

 

 

 

 

Banner Image:  NYC protests this weekend. Image Credit – ACLU