The death of two American citizens at the hands of federal immigration agents in Minneapolis has transformed an offensive designed to reinforce Donald Trump’s tough rhetoric into a major political conflict in the middle of an election year. The massive deployment of agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) and the Border Patrol in a city governed by Democrats was intended to stage authority and confrontation with the so-called “sanctuary cities.” What it has caused, however, is a much more dangerous combination for the White House: dead citizens, recordings that contradict the official story, an open institutional clash and a growing unrest that is beginning to appear even within the Republican Party.
The immediate trigger was the death of nurse Alex Pretti, 37, last Saturday, during a federal operation in the city center. Pretti became the second American killed this month by federal agents in Minneapolis, after Renee Good died on January 7 under similar circumstances. From the first moment, the Trump administration has maintained that Pretti attacked the troops and that they fired in self-defense. The president himself framed the events in a partisan key: “Tragically, two American citizens have lost their lives as a result of this chaos caused by the Democrats.”
That narrative, however, immediately began to crack. Videos recorded by witnesses and verified by Reuters show Pretti with a mobile phone in his hand – not a gun – while trying to help several people knocked down by the agents. The images show him reduced to the ground and being shot multiple times in the back. The nurse’s parents have reinforced this version with a direct account: “He had the phone in his right hand and his left hand free, trying to protect the woman that ICE had just thrown to the ground, all while they sprayed him with pepper spray.”
The official response, far from reducing tension, has aggravated it. The head of the Border Patrol in Minneapolis, Gregory Bovino, defended the actions of his troops and went so far as to reverse the meaning of the case in an interview with CNN: “The victims here are the Border Patrol agents.” Bovino maintained that Pretti “put himself in that situation” by intervening in a police operation and confirmed that those involved continue to work, although it is expected that they will be assigned to administrative functions. He also admitted that the investigation remains open and that it has not yet been clarified how many officers opened fire.
A conflict that overwhelms Washington
The crash has transcended the media story. Minnesota authorities have openly questioned the federal version and demand the withdrawal of deployed reinforcements. Governor Tim Walz pointed directly to the president: “President Trump, you can end this today. Remove these people.” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara was even more explicit when summarizing the conflict: “The videos speak for themselves,” he said, after stating that he has seen no evidence that Pretti brandished a weapon.
Minnesota has also resorted to judicial means. At the request of the state, a federal judge has ordered the preservation of all evidence related to Pretti’s death, after local authorities denounced possible unconstitutional excesses in the operation. In the case of Renee Good, the fracture is total: the Department of Justice withdrew its cooperation from the state investigation and a dozen federal prosecutors resigned in protest over the handling of the case.
The political impact has reached the Capitol. The Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, announced that his party will vote against any funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security that includes funds for ICE if deep reforms are not undertaken. “Americans must be safe from abuse by their own government,” he warned. The threat is concrete: if there is no agreement before January 31, the United States is headed for a partial government shutdown.
Fissures on the Republican front
But the most uncomfortable element for the White House does not come from the opposition. According to The New York Times, Pretti’s death has set off alarms in Republican ranks. While some leaders close ranks with Trump, several legislators have called for independent investigations. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called what happened “deeply disturbing” and urged a joint investigation. “The credibility of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security is at stake,” he said.
Other congressmen have gone further. Republican James Comer suggested on Fox News that the president should remove the agents to avoid “losing more innocent lives.” Even gun rights organizations have expressed alarm at the attempt to justify the shooting based on the fact that Pretti had a gun license. “Carrying a weapon is not a death sentence,” wrote Congressman Thomas Massie, recalling that it is a constitutional right.
In this context, the president’s recent rhetorical turn is explained. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump stated that his administration is “reviewing everything” and opened the door to an eventual withdrawal of federal agents, although without setting a deadline. “At some point we will leave,” he said, while defending that the troops have done a “phenomenal job.”
The political risk
This movement suggests a tactical correction rather than a fundamental change. Trump is trying to contain the damage without disavowing a central strategy for his political project. However, the reputational cost is evident. Minneapolis has ceased to be a useful setting for projecting authority and has become an uncomfortable precedent: a place where immigration policy is associated with dead citizens and institutional confrontations.
For Trump, the electoral risk lies not in losing his most loyal base, but in eroding the support of independent and moderate voters. These sectors, although they accept firmness on the border, reject the lethal use of force and administrative disorder. In a decisive year, this shift in focus—from public order to abuse of power—threatens to turn one of the pillars of his campaign into a source of political uncertainty.
