Minneapolis Protest After Man’s Shooting; Trump Calls Officers “Patriots
- alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old American citizen, was an intensive care nurse at the Department of Veterans Affairs.According to the US government, the man had approached armed and...
- In a sworn statement, an anonymous eyewitness who recorded the video of the shooting states that he did not see Alex Pretti with a gun before he was...
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced that he had formally requested assistance from the National Guard to support the Minneapolis Police Department.
High tension returns to Minneapolis. A federal agent shot and killed a man. alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old American citizen, was an intensive care nurse at the Department of Veterans Affairs.According to the US government, the man had approached armed and with opposed intentions, but videos appear to contradict the version of federal officials.”Let our ice patriots do their job” Trump wrote on truth. The victim’s family: ‘Repugnant lies from the government’. minnesota Governor Tim Walz has asked Trump to end these operations. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has requested assistance from the National Guard, while thousands participate in a vigil for the victim in the city; protest demonstrations also in New York and Washington. Simultaneously occurring, according to the Guardian, a two-year-old child was also stopped and deported to texas with her father. She was taken to a detention center, then released and entrusted to her mother.
In a sworn statement, an anonymous eyewitness who recorded the video of the shooting states that he did not see Alex Pretti with a gun before he was shot by ICE agents. This is reported by the Guardian,citing a document published by the American Immigration Council,a non-governmental organization for the defense of migrants’ rights. The witness states that Pretti was trying to help a woman who had been pushed to the ground when he was grabbed by other ICE agents. He didn’t seem to be resisting, he says: ”I didn’t see him with a gun. They threw him to the ground and started shooting him.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced that he had formally requested assistance from the National Guard to support the Minneapolis Police Department. The mayor stated that the community is tired and that further support is needed. He then added that he understands that people are angry and are experiencing trauma. “This has been going on for weeks,” he said, adding that only “our city will suffer if there is damage or destruction.”
Previously Frey had asked “how many more residents, how many more Americans must die or be seriously injured before this operation ends? How many more lives must be lost before this administration realizes that a political and partisan narrative is no longer more vital than American values? How many times must local and national leaders beg you, Donald Trump, to end this operation and recognize that this is not creating security in our city?”
the family has identified the victim: he is Alex Jeffrey Pretti,
South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has voiced support for the Trump administration’s backing of the Border Patrol agent involved in a fatal shooting in Minneapolis, and has placed blame on the victim, Alex Pretti, describing his behavior as “violent” before he was killed.
Noem stated during a press conference at the FEMA headquarters in Washington that “an individual approached U.S.Border Patrol agents with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.Agents attempted to disarm this person, but the armed suspect reacted violently. Fearing for their lives and the lives of their colleagues,an agent fired defensive shots.”
noem said Pretti was “pronounced dead at the scene,” noting that “he had two magazines with ammunition containing dozens of bullets” and had no identification documents with him. According to Noem, “it appears to be a situation where an individual came to the scene to inflict maximum harm on people and kill law enforcement.”
He is the second victim in the city of Minnesota, after protester Renee Good, while in recent days another citizen was injured by gunfire from federal agents, the third such incident in a month. Adding to the resentment of the local population, who marched in the city on Friday after the proclamation of a general strike, are also the arrests of children of immigrants: the latest is that of a two-year-old girl.
The dynamics of the latest tragedy are not yet fully clarified, but some images are already circulating on social media. A video that was also broadcast on US television shows people in masks and tactical vests struggling with a man on a snow-covered street before shots are heard. In the clip, the man falls to the ground and more gunshots are heard, at least five.
Video The video of the shooting in Minneapolis
The Department of Homeland Security was swift to give its version, invoking the line of
Protests Against ICE Continue in Minneapolis Despite Extreme Cold
Table of Contents
Hundreds of protesters marched in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 24, 2026, demonstrating against U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICE) despite dangerously low temperatures, with wind chills reaching -30 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Protest’s Core Demands
the demonstration centered on calls to abolish ICE and end its detention practices, which protesters argue contribute to human rights abuses and family separations. Organizers specifically highlighted concerns about the conditions within ICE detention centers and the lack of due process for immigrants.
The protest was organized by a coalition of immigrant rights groups, including the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). MIRAC stated on January 23, 2026, that the extreme weather would not deter them from advocating for vulnerable communities. Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee
ICE’s Response and Detention Policies
ICE maintains that its detention policies are necessary for national security and to enforce immigration laws. As of december 31, 2025, ICE reported an average daily detention population of 38,449 individuals across the United States. ICE Detention Statistics (December 2025)
Critics point to a 2024 report by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which found systemic deficiencies in ICE’s oversight of medical care in detention facilities. DHS office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Report on ICE Medical Oversight (2024)
Impact of the Cold Weather
The extreme cold presented significant challenges for both protesters and law enforcement. Minneapolis city officials issued a wind chill warning, urging residents to limit outdoor exposure. Medical personnel were on standby at the protest to provide assistance to anyone suffering from hypothermia or frostbite.
According to the National Weather Service, the wind chill in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026, reached -32 degrees Fahrenheit, posing a risk of frostbite within minutes. National Weather Service Winter Weather Safety
Recent Legal Challenges to ICE
ICE’s practices have faced numerous legal challenges in recent years. In Garza v. ICE (2025), the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that ICE must provide adequate medical care to detainees, affirming a lower court decision. Garza v. ICE, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (2025)
Additionally, several states, including California and Illinois, have enacted laws limiting cooperation with ICE, restricting the agency’s ability to detain individuals based solely on immigration status.