Former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also criticized the incident. He claims that if the victim of the Minneapolis shooting had been a “MAGA guy” in the Biden era, supporters of the movement would have been outraged. “There is nothing wrong with peacefully protesting legally and making a video,” she wrote.
An attack on American values
That the incident would be met with criticism from Democrats was expected after the killing of Renee Good. Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama also commented on the latest events, calling the killing of Alex Pretti a “heartbreaking tragedy”.
“It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party affiliation, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under attack,” the Obamas said.
New York State’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochula, criticized the Trump administration for spreading a “blatant and brazen lie” to justify Pretti’s killing. “It’s a shame that I have to say this in America, but no one is above the law,” Hochulova said, adding: “And make no mistake, when these people who abused the power entrusted to them by their authorities finally lose power, the states, including New York, will hold them accountable.”
Key Democrats in the Senate are already refusing to support $64 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security (including $10 billion for ICE) in response to the events. The upcoming legislation thus faces a threat. Since the law requires 60 votes to break through obstructions, the growing opposition significantly increases the risk of a partial shutdown of the government (so-called shutdown) at the end of the month.
He had the right and permission to carry a weapon
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the video of the shooting raises “serious questions” about the testimony of Gregory Bovin, the official in charge of President Trump’s border patrol operations. According to him, Pretti was exercising his right under “the First Amendment to the Constitution to record the activities of law enforcement agencies and also his right under the Second Amendment to the Constitution to legally bear arms in a public place in the city.”
These are part of the so-called Bill of Rights, which is the first ten amendments adopted in 1791. These amendments form the basic pillar of American democracy and the rule of law. The First Amendment (Freedom of Speech, Religion, Press) protects five key freedoms that are considered essential to a free society. Among other things, it prohibits Congress from passing laws that would limit freedom of assembly, such as at protests. According to the US Supreme Court, the Second Amendment (Right to Bear Arms) guarantees an individual’s individual right to own a weapon for self-defense purposes.
O’Hara said the federal government is not cooperating with him and has not received official information regarding Saturday’s shooting. “Our patrol commander was not given even the most basic information that is typical of a law enforcement shooting,” he said. In addition, agents of the relevant Minnesota office blocked access to the scene of the shooting.
They have already killed once
This is not the first killing that ICE agents are responsible for. Tensions in Minneapolis escalated after the tragic incident on January 7, 2026, when ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old American Renée Good. The shooting occurred during an operation on the streets of the city, when Good was trying to merge into traffic in her vehicle.
While Donald Trump’s administration and federal authorities have defended the strike as self-defense, saying the car and its female driver were trying to hit the agent, eyewitnesses and video footage cast doubt on that version. According to them, Ross fired at the vehicle as it was moving away from him, which is also proven by Good’s autopsy. Two of the three shots, the fatal head shot being the last, came from the side of the vehicle. In addition, Good was still alive eight minutes after the shooting. However, ICE agents did not allow the attending physician to administer first aid to her.
In addition, recent cases of child abductions have also drawn criticism. Federal agents in Minnesota, for example, detained just five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father right in front of their house and then transported them to a detention center in Texas. According to school inspector Zena Stenvik, the family, which came to the US in 2024, has an open asylum process and has not been issued a deportation order. According to her, the agents used the boy in the car as bait, forcing him to knock on the door to lure the mother out.
Moreover, the versions about the course of the arrest fundamentally differ. While a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security says the father tried to run away and abandoned the child, witnesses and school officials describe the situation differently. They offered to take care of the boy – while one of the neighbors allegedly also had authorization from the parents. However, the agents ignored these possibilities and took the boy away. The family’s attorney, Marc Prokosch, believes the father and son are being held in a shared cell at a facility in Dilley, Texas, but has not yet been able to make direct contact with them.
Another two-year-old girl was taken into custody with her father and flown to Texas, from where he was returned to his mother a day later. The child was taken to Texas despite a court order demanding her immediate release.
Protests continue even in the cold
Immediately after Pretti’s death, demonstrations broke out in several American cities. Specifically, in Minneapolis, demonstrators gathered at the scene of the shooting – despite the freezing weather, when the temperature dropped to -6 degrees Celsius. At the same time, protests have been going on to some extent for weeks since the killing of Renee Good, and it is assumed that the latest killing will only intensify their nature.
During the rally, the crowd called ICE agents “cowards” and sent them home. Protesters dragged trash cans from the alleys to block the streets and chanted “ICE out” and “Watching ICE is not a crime.” It was while observing the activities of the agents that Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed.
Some people carried signs reading “Justice for Alex Pretti” as they chanted both his and Renee Good’s names.
We are devastated and very angry
Pretti’s family released a statement on Saturday evening saying they were “devastated but also very angry”. They described their son as a kind-hearted soul who wanted to change the world with his work as a health worker. They learned about their son’s death only from the media and after an AP journalist called them with questions.
Michael Pretti, the father of the man who was shot, says he warned his son to be careful in Minneapolis. “We had this discussion with him two weeks ago, you know go protest, but don’t get involved, don’t do anything stupid,” he told Michael Pretti. (But) he said he knows,” his father claims.
“He cared deeply about people and was very upset by what was happening in Minneapolis and across the United States with ICE, as were millions of other people,” said Michael Pretti. “He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about these people and he knew it was wrong, so he participated in the protests,” he described.
“The vile lies being told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex was clearly not holding a gun when he was attacked by Trump’s murderous and cowardly ICE thugs. He is holding a phone in his right hand and raised his empty left hand above his head as he tried to protect a woman who was just being tased by ICE while being sprayed with tear gas,” the family said in a statement. “Please reveal the truth about our son. He was a good man.”
