Democrats demanded federal immigration officers leave Minnesota after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man in Minneapolis and set off clashes with protesters who poured into the frigid streets in a city already shaken by another shooting death weeks earlier.
Pressure intensified on the Trump administration on Sunday to order a full investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse who was shot dead by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis a day earlier.
Demands for accountability have come from across the political spectrum, fuelled by bystander videos and questions over the conduct of federal agents involved in the incident. The shooting has also triggered a legal battle over who controls the investigation, alongside renewed appeals from state and city leaders to roll back the aggressive federal immigration enforcement surge that has swept through Minneapolis and neighbouring areas.
Federal officials have said agents fired in self-defence early Saturday when Pretti intervened in a confrontation between an immigration officer and a woman on a city street. Authorities claim Pretti was armed, though multiple bystander videos do not appear to show him holding a weapon at the time. Minneapolis police have confirmed that Pretti had a valid permit to carry a handgun.
Analysis of the footage has deepened scrutiny, with videos showing officers later removing a handgun from Pretti after he had already been restrained. His family said they were “heartbroken but also very angry”, describing Pretti as a kindhearted person who wanted to make a positive difference.
In response, a federal judge issued an order barring the Trump administration from destroying or altering any evidence connected to the killing. The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by state and county authorities seeking access to material gathered by federal agencies.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the lawsuit aims to preserve evidence that state investigators have not yet been allowed to review. A hearing is scheduled for Monday in federal court in St. Paul. “A full, impartial, and transparent investigation into his fatal shooting at the hands of DHS agents is non-negotiable,” Ellison said.
The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, both named in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tensions around immigration enforcement had already been running high. Another federal judge had earlier ruled that officers involved in the Minnesota immigration surge could not detain or deploy tear gas against peaceful protesters, though that decision was temporarily paused by an appeals court shortly before Saturday’s shooting.
The Minnesota National Guard has since been deployed to assist local police, with troops sent both to the shooting site and to a federal building where officers have faced daily protests.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti had arrived to “impede a law enforcement operation” and questioned why he was armed, without specifying whether he drew or pointed the weapon. Gun rights groups countered that carrying a firearm during protests is legal under Minnesota law.
President Donald Trump weighed in by blaming Democratic leaders, targeting Governor Tim Walz and the Minneapolis mayor. Sharing images of the recovered gun, Trump questioned why local police were not protecting immigration officers and accused Democratic officials of inciting unrest.
The killing has drawn national political reaction. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for federal immigration authorities to leave Minnesota and urged Democrats to refuse funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer later said Democrats would not support a spending package that includes funds for the Department of Homeland Security, raising the possibility of a partial government shutdown when funding expires on January 30.
Pretti was killed just over a mile from the site where an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7, a death that had already sparked widespread protests.
Pretti’s family strongly rejected official accounts of the incident, accusing the administration of spreading “sickening lies” and saying videos clearly show him holding a phone, not a gun, with one hand raised as he tried to shield the woman who had been shoved.
Bystander footage shows Pretti stepping in after an officer pushes a woman, followed by officers shoving and pepper-spraying him. Several officers then force him to the ground, striking him as they attempt to restrain his arms. Shots are heard while officers surround him, after which they back away and Pretti is seen lying motionless.
Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino said it was “very evident” that Pretti did not follow officers’ orders, arguing that he had chosen to intervene. Governor Walz, however, said he had no confidence in federal authorities and insisted the state would lead the investigation. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension superintendent Drew Evans said federal officers blocked state investigators from the scene even after a judicial warrant was obtained.
Protests continued into Sunday, spreading to cities including New York, Washington and Los Angeles. In Minneapolis, demonstrators gathered at the shooting site despite sub-zero temperatures, chanting slogans demanding ICE’s removal. As night fell, hundreds mourned quietly at a growing memorial, while nearby businesses offered warmth and refreshments.
“It feels like every day something crazier happens,” said Caleb Spike, who travelled from a nearby suburb to attend. “What’s happening in our community is wrong. It’s sickening.”
With inputs from agencies
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