President Donald Trump has said his administration will “de-escalate a little bit” federal operations in Minnesota following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, by US border agents. The incident marks the second death of a US citizen involving federal immigration officers in the state within weeks, after the killing of Renee Good in early January, and has triggered protests and widespread public outrage.
Speaking in a Fox News interview on Tuesday, Trump described both shootings as “terrible” and referred to Pretti’s death as “a very unfortunate incident”. While he said he was unaware of claims labelling Pretti a “domestic terrorist”, Trump added that Pretti “shouldn’t have been carrying a gun”. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, however, accused Pretti of attempting to perpetuate violence, saying agents acted in self-defence.
The Department of Homeland Security maintains that officers fired after Pretti resisted attempts to disarm him. That account has been challenged by local authorities and eyewitnesses, who say the gun was legally registered and that Pretti was holding a phone when he was shot. A preliminary report by Customs and Border Protection further complicates the picture, stating that two agents fired their weapons but making no reference to Pretti reaching for a firearm.
Amid mounting criticism, DHS removed the leader of its Minnesota operation, Gregory Bovino, and assigned White House border coordinator Tom Homan to oversee the mission. Homan has since met state and city officials as calls grow for the withdrawal of roughly 3,000 immigration officers from the region.
While signalling de-escalation, Trump defended the operation, saying it had removed “hardened criminals”. Lawmakers from both parties have called for a transparent investigation, with a federal judge ordering DHS to preserve all evidence.
