Democrats demanded that federal immigration agents leave Minnesota after a US Border Patrol agent shot and killed a man in Minneapolis, triggering clashes with protesters who took to the streets of the city, already shaken by the death of a woman by an immigration agent on the 7th.
The most recent shooting also sparked a legal battle for control of the investigation.
Federal authorities say agents fired in self-defense on Saturday morning, 24, when Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, intervened in an argument between an immigration agent and a woman on the street. Authorities say Pretti was armed, but no video recorded by witnesses shows him carrying a gun. The Minneapolis police chief said Pretti was carrying a gun.
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Pretti’s family said they were “heartbroken but also very angry” with authorities, saying in a statement that he was a kind soul who wanted to make a difference in the world.
A federal judge has already issued an order blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to the shooting, after state and local authorities filed a lawsuit.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the lawsuit filed Saturday aims to preserve evidence collected by federal authorities that state authorities have not yet been able to examine.
According to Ellison, the investigation must be “complete, impartial and transparent”. A hearing is scheduled for Monday the 26th in St. Paul federal court.
The Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police under orders from Gov. Tim Walz, officials said, with troops sent both to the scene of the shooting and to a federal building where officers have clashed daily with protesters.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a press conference that Pretti appeared to “prevent a police operation.” She questioned why he was armed, but offered no details about whether Pretti drew the weapon or displayed it to officers.
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But gun rights groups have noted that it is legal to carry firearms during protests.
“Every peaceful Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms – including when participating in protests, acting as an observer or exercising their First Amendment rights,” the Minnesota Gun Owners Group said in a statement. “These rights do not disappear when someone is legally armed.”
Trump blames Democrats
The president spoke out on social media, harshly criticizing Walz and the mayor of Minneapolis.
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He shared images of the gun that immigration officials said was recovered and said, “What is this? Where are the local police? Why didn’t they allow them to protect the ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents?”
Trump claimed the Democratic governor and mayor are “inciting the insurrection with their pompous, dangerous and arrogant rhetoric.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was among several Democratic lawmakers who demanded the departure of federal immigration authorities from Minnesota. She also urged Democrats to refuse to vote in favor of funding ICE, saying on social media: “We have a responsibility to protect Americans from tyranny.”
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Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer later said Democrats will not vote in favor of a spending package that includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE. Schumer’s statement raises the possibility of a partial government shutdown on Jan. 30 when funds run out.
Pretti was shot just over a mile from the spot where an ICE agent killed 37-year-old Renee Good on Jan. 7, sparking widespread protests.
Pretti’s family was furious with the description of the shooting given by federal authorities.
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“The disgusting lies told about our son by the government are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex clearly was not armed when he was attacked by Trump’s cowardly, murderous ICE henchmen. He had his cell phone in his right hand and his empty left hand raised above his head as he tried to protect the woman ICE had just pushed, all while being pepper-sprayed,” the family’s statement read. “Please spread the truth about our son. He was a good man.”
Video shows police and man shot
Videos recorded by bystanders show protesters blowing whistles and shouting profanities at federal agents on a commercial street in south Minneapolis.
The videos show Pretti intervening after an immigration agent pushes a woman. Pretti appears to be pointing his cell phone at the agent, but there is no evidence that he is carrying a weapon.
The officer pushes Pretti in the chest and uses pepper spray against him and the woman.
Before long, at least seven police officers are pinning Pretti to the ground. Several officers try to put the man’s arms behind his back as he appears to resist. A police officer holding a can of pepper spray hits him several times near the head.
A shot is fired, but with police surrounding the man, it is unclear where it came from. Several police officers retreat. More shots are heard. The police officers move away and the man remains motionless in the street.
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander leading Trump’s crackdown, was repeatedly pressed on the US television program “State of the Union.” CNNto present evidence that Pretti did something illegal or attacked law enforcement officers, as authorities alleged.
He said it was “very evident” that Pretti was not following the officers’ orders.
“It’s a shame that he suffered the consequences for intruding on the crime scene,” he said. “It was his decision.”
Walz said he had no confidence in federal authorities and that the state would lead the investigation into the shooting.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Department of Criminal Investigation, said at a news conference that federal agents prevented his agency from accessing the site, even after obtaining a signed court warrant.
Protests continue
Demonstrations broke out in several cities across the country, including New York, Washington and Los Angeles.
In Minneapolis, protesters gathered at the scene of the shooting despite the intense cold, with temperatures around -21 degrees Celsius.
An angry crowd gathered after the shooting and shouted profanities at the federal agents, calling them “cowards” and sending them home. Protesters dragged trash cans from alleys to block streets, and people chanted “ICE out now” and “Watching ICE is not a crime.”
As night fell, hundreds of people mourned in silence at a memorial that grew at the site of the shooting. A nearby donut shop and clothing store remained open, offering protesters a warm place as well as water, coffee and snacks.
Caleb Spike, who participated in the act, said he wanted to show his support and frustration. “It seems like every day something more absurd happens,” he said. “What is happening in our community is wrong, it is disgusting, it is disgusting.”
