Washington, Jan 25 (IANS) A Minneapolis resident was shot and killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation, which has escalated the already tense situation between the Trump Administration and the Minnesota State Government, along with the opposition Democratic Party.
The victim was identified by Democratic leaders as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Veterans Affairs nurse. The incident occurred amid ongoing federal immigration operations in Minnesota involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Department of Homeland Security said the shooting occurred at about “9:05 AM CT,” when its officers were “conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault.”
DHS said that “an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.” According to the statement, “the officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted.”
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots,” DHS said. It added that “medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.”
DHS said the individual “also had 2 magazines and no ID,” adding, “this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” The department said the situation was still unfolding and that “more details on the armed struggle are forthcoming.”
The department also said that “about 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement,” adding that “crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.”
President Donald Trump defended federal immigration agents in a social media post, questioned the role of local police, and accused Minnesota officials of misconduct. He said ICE agents were operating because of “massive Monetary Fraud, with Billions of Dollars missing,” and added, “LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB!”
Democratic leaders disputed the administration’s account and sharply criticized the federal response.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said “lawless and masked thugs masquerading as law enforcement officers brutally killed another American citizen on the streets of Minneapolis without justification.” He described the death of VA nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti as “a horrific, preventable tragedy.”
Jeffries called for accountability, saying the American people “deserve a thorough, independent investigation without interference or obstruction by DHS.” He added that “every single federal agent responsible for the unjustified killing of another civilian must be held criminally accountable to the full extent of the law.”
Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar said the incident followed reports that immigration enforcement agents were involved. “This appears to be an execution by immigration enforcement,” she said. “I am absolutely heartbroken, horrified, and appalled that federal agents murdered another member of our community.”
Omar said the incident was part of a broader pattern. “This isn’t isolated or accidental,” she said, adding that “the Trump administration is trying to beat us into submission rather than protect us.” She said ICE and CBP were “violating constitutional rights under the guise of immigration enforcement.”
House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson said, “Yet another US citizen has been killed in cold blood by ICE and CBP in Minneapolis for exercising his First Amendment rights.” He said the killing “should shock all Americans.”
Thompson accused DHS of attempting to shape public perception, saying that “within minutes … DHS and its mass propaganda machine slandered and attacked the deceased individual with no evidence.” He demanded that “ICE and CBP must leave Minneapolis at once” and called for the immediate release of body-camera footage.
Reaction extended beyond Minnesota. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she learned of “yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents” and said “this violence has to stop.” She said the president “must remove these armed, federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”
Bass said she had joined mayors nationwide in a federal court action challenging what she described as the administration’s “unconstitutional and unlawful deployment of federal agents in the Twin Cities.” She called Operation Metro Surge “unacceptable” and warned against allowing the federal government to “turn [cities] into war zones.”
The killing has intensified national debate over the scope, tactics, and oversight of federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, particularly in Democratic-ledalaed the states and cities. Minnesota has seen repeated protests in recent weeks amid the expanded federal presence, with local officials and federal authorities offering sharply conflicting accounts of enforcement actions and public safety.
–IANS
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