Where things stand
• Minnesota shooting: The shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent yesterday in Minneapolis marked the second death at the hands of federal officers in the city this month, deepening outrage after weeks of protests over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
• DHS account under scrutiny: Administration officials have declined in interviews this morning to provide critical details about their claim that the agent shot Pretti in self-defense. CNN video analysis found that an agent took away Pretti’s handgun just before he was shot. At no point in videos reviewed by CNN can he be seen wielding the weapon.
• What we know about Pretti: Friends and family say the 37-year-old was an ICU nurse at a local VA hospital. Police said he was believed to be a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.
• State and federal officials at odds: Minnesota leaders have rejected the Trump administration’s account of events, and state officials are suing the federal government over access to investigate the shooting.
GOP senators call for investigation into Minneapolis shooting
The credibility of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security is at stake following yesterday’s shooting of a 37-year-old US citizen in Minneapolis, GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy said.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina also called for a “thorough and impartial investigation” into the shooting of Alex Pretti.
Some background: Cassidy was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial. Recently, Trump backed Cassidy’s primary challenger, Rep. Julia Letlow, in her run for Senate.
Last June, Tillis was one of only two Republicans who voted against advancing Trump’s sweeping agenda bill. Trump threatened to back a primary challenger to his seat, though Tillis announced the next day that he would not be seeking reelection.
Former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had her own highly public falling out with the president, has also questioned the administration’s narrative around the shooting.
Greene wrote on X that while she supports immigration enforcement, “I also unapologetically support the 2nd amendment.
“Legally carrying a firearm is not the same as brandishing a firearm,” Greene wrote. “There is nothing wrong with legally peacefully protesting and videoing,” she added.
CNN’s Josh Magness, Maureen Chowdhury and Josh Campbell contributed to this reporting.
Obamas say Minneapolis shooting "should be a wake-up call to every American"
Barack and Michelle Obama said the killing of Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis “should be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party.”
The former president and first lady issued a lengthy statement Sunday about the fatal shooting and denounced the aggressive immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota. The Obamas urged the Trump administration to “reconsider their approach.”
The Sunday statement marked a rare instance of the Obamas speaking out against the Trump administration’s actions.
The Obamas praised peaceful protests in Minneapolis and across the country, calling them “a timely reminder that ultimately it’s up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our basic freedoms, and hold our government accountable.”
Minnesota representative urges Senate Dems to "take a stand" against DHS funding
Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, who is running for Senate in Minnesota, urged her colleagues to “stand the line” and refuse to pass a bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security without new restrictions, after a federal agent shot and killed a 37-year-old man in Minneapolis.
Craig told CNN’s Manu Raju today she thinks Democrats should force a government shutdown over their demands to rein in immigration enforcement.
“I mean, are we OK that an authoritarian administration is taking over American cities? Are we OK that our First Amendment, our Second Amendment, and our Fourth Amendment rights under the Constitution are being violated? Hell no, we’re not OK,” she said, warning that if Democrats don’t “take a stand now” then the aggressive federal enforcement that has devolved into violence in her state is “coming to a city near you.”
“ICE is attacking and terrorizing the people of Minnesota, and they’re coming to you, if we don’t stop them here,” she said.
The Minnesota Democrat, who last week voted against the House-passed bill that included DHS and ICE funds, said her party “cannot keep acting like these are normal times in our country.”
“This is a moment in time that history is going to judge every single one of us, including my Republican colleagues, who are complicit in their silence at this moment,” she said.
Asked by Raju if Democrats should heed the demands of some progressives to advocate to abolish ICE, Craig responded, “We’re always going to need border enforcement at the southern border, but we absolutely have to dismantle Trump and Kristi Noem’s version of ICE,” she said.
Trump lashes out at ballroom lawsuit as top officials defend Minneapolis shooting
A phalanx of top Trump administration officials assembled across Sunday morning news shows to defend the shooting of a US citizen in Minneapolis by a federal immigration agent. President Donald Trump’s attention, it appears, was elsewhere.
Trump, who is spending the day at a snowy White House, launched a 448-word missive on social media lambasting a lawsuit launched at his sprawling ballroom addition, casting a top historic preservation group as “obstructionists and troublemakers.”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is asking the judge to issue a preliminary injunction that would grind work on the ballroom to a halt until the public has a chance to weigh in and Congress gives the green light.
Trump’s comments come after a key hearing last week, during which a federal judge expressed deep skepticism that the White House has legal authority to construct the ballroom without express authorization from Congress.
He added, “Why didn’t these obstructionists and troublemakers bring their baseless lawsuit much earlier?”
The president has no public events on his schedule on Sunday, and the White House has issued a lid for the day, meaning he is not expected to be seen.
On Saturday, hours after federal officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, Trump hosted a private screening of the first lady’s new documentary, “Melania,” in the East Room. Guests dined on popcorn in custom boxes emblazoned with the first lady’s likeness, and listened to a band perform a waltz composed for the film’s score.
Here's what Senate Democrats are saying amid threats of a shutdown over DHS funding
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer made clear yesterday, hours after a Minneapolis man was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent, that Democrats would block a key package that would fund several government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, unless it includes guardrails for immigration enforcement.
Here’s what Democrats are saying today:
Sen. Chris Murphy told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” he would not vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which he said “is murdering American citizens.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” called for new leadership for immigration agencies, an end to “surges across the country,” to train agents “like they were supposed to be trained” and for them to be mandated to wear body cameras.
Sen. Adam Schiff told NBC immigration enforcement agencies ned to be “completely overhauled from top to bottom.”
Sen. Alex Padilla told MS Now, “To think that on top of tripling their budgets, Republicans want to give them even more to continue this chaos, to continue this craziness, to continue this lawlessness, is what it is” in reference to the additional DHS funds the GOP passed into law last year.
Independent Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with the Democrats, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that while he hates shutdowns, he can’t vote to fund ICE due to their actions in his home state of Maine and in Minnesota.
King said he believes Senate Majority Leader John Thune should separate DHS’ funding from the five other appropriations bills, saying they would pass, and then take up DHS.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen wouldn’t directly say whether she plans to support advancing the DHS funding bill, but indicated she wants to see changes.
Police chief says federal agents have brought “poor tactics" and "unconstitutional practices” to Minneapolis streets
After the situation in Minneapolis rose to emergency levels yesterday, with the state National Guard called in and mutual aid requested, the streets have been reopened and guard members have been relieved, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Sunday.
“It was very volatile situation, but we were able to maintain the peace,” O’Hara said.
To have federal law enforcement at odds with local and state officials “is uncharted territory, and it is deeply disappointing, and frankly, it’s frustrating,” he said.
“People should be able to have an expectation that the federal government can enforce federal immigration law without these poor tactics and really unconstitutional practices,” O’Hara added.
The police chief said the situation has upended the status quo for law enforcement in the area, where state agencies have long worked hand in hand with his department to make the city safer.
“We’ve seen mass resignations in these different agencies, and just a whole lot of frustration because we have personal relationships with a lot of these agents that are also just distraught over how things are playing out. It’s just not good for anyone,” he said.
The federal agents in the area aren’t adhering to the standards set for his department, O’Hara said.
“It looks very untrained. It looks unprofessional. It looks very chaotic. It doesn’t look like there’s clear teamwork, tactically, to achieve the same objective,” he said. “It is absolutely not how we train law enforcement in Minnesota.”
The situation has taken a severe toll on the officers in his department, O’Hara said, but they will continue to do their jobs.
“They’re doing a damn good job at keeping the city safe in really unprecedented in chaotic conditions,” he said.
Minneapolis reopens streets, lifts restrictions near shooting site
Roads around 26th Street West and Nicollet Avenue are open and vehicle restrictions have been lifted one day after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal immigration agents during a protest, Minneapolis officials announced Sunday.
The vehicle perimeter around the scene has been removed, and the Minnesota National Guard has ended its assignment at the site, the city said in a news release.
The Minneapolis Police Department reported that overnight activity was calm, with no arrests, burglaries or fires. Crews cleared debris to allow emergency access. Area businesses and residents will be visited by Community Planning and Economic Development and Regulatory Services staff to check on conditions and offer support, and graffiti cleanup is planned, according to the release. City vehicles involved in these efforts will be clearly marked.
CNN’s Yan Kaner contributed to this report.
People at the growing memorial for Alex Pretti express outrage and fear
At the scene where Alex Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent, CNN’s Whitney Wild said she continues to see a growing memorial despite subzero temperatures in Minneapolis.
“You see dozens of bouquets of flowers. You see hundreds of candles. You see notes to Alex, signs with his photo. Here’s one. ‘Thank you for loving, serving and saving lives.’ This has been going on since last night,” Wild described.
Wild spoke to a woman who said the reason she visited the memorial today is “outrage.”
“Last week, I was saying if you were a brown person in this, you are living in a police state,” Reyelts said. “This week, I’m thinking it’s all of us. You can’t have a bumper sticker on your car. You can get pulled out of your car for any reason.”
Reyelts added while she is not changing how she lives her day-to-day life, her son is.
Minneapolis resident BJ Clark told Wild last night he came out to protect Pretti’s vigil despite not personally knowing him.
“He was just here holding his phone. He shouldn’t be dead right now,” Clark said. “Apparently, he was a medic from — like a military vet medic. So, someone who saved lives died for absolutely no reason. And ICE is still here, and big man in office doesn’t want to let them out. And they need to go.”
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrives at shooting scene after being turned away
More than 24 hours after a Border Patrol agent shot and killed Alex Pretti, personnel from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have arrived at the scene.
BCA staff are “canvassing and looking to collect whatever evidence may be there,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Sunday.
O’Hara said he requested the BCA to investigate immediately after the shooting, but “they were refused entry” by federal agents.
“They even got a state search warrant for a public area to conduct their investigation, but they were not allowed in,” he said.
The scene has since become “contaminated,” O’Hara said, adding the situation is “not ideal” for investigators.
BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said Saturday that state and local police were unable to secure the scene and it was overrun by protesters, preventing the BCA from conducting its own examination.
Video from Sunday morning shows people in BCA jackets at the scene. One person asked those standing nearby to leave the area for about 20 minutes so investigators could document the scene.
The BCA and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office are both suing the Trump administration after the shooting. Early Sunday morning, a federal judge in Minnesota granted a temporary restraining order blocking federal agencies from destroying or altering evidence related to Pretti’s killing.
Noem alleges local and state leaders "abandoned" downtown Minneapolis
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem alleged that local and state leaders “abandoned” the area of downtown Minneapolis and continued to characterize protestors as “violent rioters.”
“These are not just agitators anymore. They’re violent protests. In fact, the state and the city of Minneapolis abandoned this area in downtown Minneapolis because they couldn’t control the situation by the amount of people that have come in, just trying to disrupt and impede law enforcement operations,” Noem said on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CNN that federal officials attempted to prevent local police from accessing the shooting scene. But O’Hara told his officers to remain on site as part of standard protocol to preserve evidence after a shooting.
Noem also alleged, without evidence, that protests only turned violent in Minneapolis after the administration put a spotlight on fraud allegations in the state. Trump said yesterday, in the aftermath of the shooting, that it was a “cover up.”
“These are not just agitators anymore. They’re violent protests,” Noem said.
“Frankly, this didn’t turn violent until we uncovered the fraud in Minneapolis. We were there, ICE and CBP have been there and operating for years in Minneapolis, we saw the violence start to happen when the fraud became uncovered,” Noem said.
CNN’s Josh Campbell contributed to this report.
Noem says she's "grieved" for parents of Pretti, but appears to place blame on him for what unfolded
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that she’s “grieved” for the parents of Alex Pretti, who’s son was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis Saturday.
“I’m grieved for them. I truly am. I can’t even imagine losing a child. And I can’t imagine a tragic situation,” Noem said on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing.
However, Noem appeared to place blame on Pretti for showing up with a gun and “confronting” officers. Pretti had a concealed carry permit and videos don’t show him brandishing the weapon at officers. They show Pretti was disarmed before he was shot.
“We can’t have individuals that are impeding law enforcement operations and then showing up with guns and weapons and no ID and confronting law enforcement, like, that is one of the reasons that we see situations like this unfold,” Noem said.
Asked about First Amendment rights, Noem said individuals should comply with officers who tell them to ” back off.”
“When an officer tells you to back off and gives you orders you should comply and explain you shouldn’t show up with weapons that no ID and no indication of how they’re going to be used, and that aggressive interaction, laying hands on law enforcement officers, clearly, is a crime, and it is something that should not be acceptable,” Noem said.
GOP Gov. Stitt: "Trump is getting bad advice" on immigration enforcement
Oklahoma GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt told CNN on Sunday that President Donald Trump is “getting bad advice” on immigration enforcement and that “Americans don’t like what they’re seeing” in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis.
“First off, this is a real tragedy, and I think the death of Americans with what we’re seeing is causing deep concerns over federal tactics and accountability. Americans don’t like what they’re seeing right now,” Stitt told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
When pressed by Bash if federal agents should be pulled out of Minnesota, Stitt said “I think the President has to answer that question” and said Trump was “getting bad advice right now.”
Though Stitt mentioned Trump was elected in part on his immigration policies he said “now Americans are asking themselves, ‘What is the endgame? What is the solution?’”
“What’s the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-US citizen? I don’t think that’s what Americans want. We have to stop politicizing this. We need real solutions on immigration reform,” Stitt said.
Additionally, Stitt called for a cooldown in tensions saying that they were “going crazy” and that “we need to calm this down.”
Noem says Pretti impeded "law enforcement operation," defends agents involved
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that Alex Pretti impeded a law enforcement operation and defended the agents involved in his death.
When pressed on whether Pretti was disarmed before he was shot by a border patrol agent, Noem said, “That’s all part of this investigation. Every video will be analyzed, everything will be looked at.” She also said officers reacted to people yelling “Gun, gun, gun.”
“I can’t speak to every single thing that those officers thought but this happened in seconds. They clearly feared for their lives and took action to defend themselves and the people around them,” she said.
As Second Amendment rights have become part of the conversation, Noem said her message to those with legal concealed carry permits is, “Don’t go impede law enforcement operations.”
FBI Director Kash Patel shifts blame to Pretti, suggesting he broke the law by carrying gun
FBI Director Kash Patel accused the man killed by a federal officer Saturday of breaking the law by possessing a firearm he had a legal permit to carry, failing to explain what law was broken and refusing to support his claim.
During an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo,” Patel said the man, Alex Pretti, was not allowed to bring a firearm to a protest — a notion that gun right groups have heavily criticized.
“You cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It’s that simple,” Patel said. “You don’t have that right to break the law and incite violence.”
When pressed by Bartiromo on how Pretti was threatening Border Patrol officers, Patel punted, saying that the Department of Homeland Security was leading the investigation.
“We will, of course, always protect your First Amendment speech, and if you peacefully protest, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that,” Patel said.
Patel did not explain his suggestion that Pretti incited violence — a notion that is not supported by video from the scene, which shows a federal officer spraying Pretti with chemical irritants before several more officers help tackle him to the ground before fatally shooting him.
Following the shooting, the Second Amendment advocacy group Gun Owners of America wrote in a statement that “the Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting — a right the federal government must not infringe upon.”
Patel said Pretti’s firearm was in possession of the FBI, which was handling the physical evidence in the case, while the investigation would be led by DHS — a stark departure from normal procedures that would place the FBI as lead agency in a shooting involving a federal officer.
Bovino claims de-escalation was attempted before fatal shooting of Alex Pretti
Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino claimed federal agents used de-escalation techniques before fatally shooting Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash.
“Those de-escalation techniques, whether it was physically trying to remove them from … that active law enforcement scene in which law enforcement were going after a violent illegal alien, or the use of pepper spray, which is another de-escalation technique, those techniques did not work,” Bovino told Bash on Sunday.
“Officers always try to use the minimum amount of force necessary to either effect an arrest, which in this case was more than likely 18 (US Code) 111, assault on a federal officer,” he said.
Bash then pressed Bovino on what evidence supported the claim that Pretti was assaulting the federal officers, noting that Pretti appeared to be helping another bystander who had been pushed to the ground by an agent. Bovino did not cite specific actions by Pretti, responding instead, “We don’t need a suspect’s help in an active law enforcement scene.”
“He did not need to be where he was,” he added, once again relying on the assertion that Pretti’s presence alone had justified the agents’ response.
Bovino suggests Alex Pretti was a victim of "heated rhetoric" criticizing ICE
Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino suggested Sunday that Alex Pretti was a victim of “heated rhetoric,” arguing that political criticism of federal immigration agents may have helped place Pretti in a deadly confrontation — despite offering no evidence that Pretti assaulted or threatened officers.
“Did he fall victim to that violent and heated rhetoric by Mayor Frey, Governor Walz?” Bovino asked when confronted by CNN’s Dana Bash. “They’re trying to portray Border Patrol agents and ICE agents as Gestapo Nazi and many other words,” he said.
Bovino also questioned Pretti’s motives for being at the scene, asking whether he was “simply walking by and just happened to walk into a law enforcement situation and try to direct traffic and stand in the middle of the road and then assault, delay and obstruct law enforcement.”
Bovino praised the agents involved in the incident, crediting their “fantastic training” with preventing “any specific shootings of law enforcement.”
“So, good job for our law enforcement in taking him down before he was able to do that,” Bovino said.
Mamdani says he has told Trump the ICE raids are "cruel" and "inhumane"
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reacted to the killing of two residents of Minneapolis, calling it “horrific” and said he previously told President Donald Trump the ICE raids are “cruel” and “inhumane.”
“I will do everything in my power to ensure that we do not see that take place in New York City. And I’ve also said clearly to the president that these ICE raids, they are cruel, they are inhumane. They do nothing to serve the interests of public safety,” he said in an interview ABC News’ “This Week.”
Mamdani said “too many Americans are being asked to not believe their own eyes.”
“People want to hear the truth. They want to see the truth, and that’s why I described that as a murder, because there’s no other way to watch that video and come to a different conclusion,” he said.
Democratic Sen. Murphy reacts to Bovino’s CNN interview: Trump admin “will lie to your face”
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy today criticized the Trump administration’s response to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent yesterday in Minneapolis, claiming on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash that the administration is lying about the facts surrounding the killing.
Murphy homed in on an interview Bash conducted with Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino moments earlier, during which Bovino faulted Pretti for approaching agents and carrying a gun. Bovino also claimed that Pretti had “intent to harm,” but when pressed for evidence, he offered no specifics.
Bovino also suggested Pretti’s presence at the scene had justified the agents’ response.
Murphy said he found the interview “bone-chilling,” adding, “I was shaking as I was listening to it.”
Murphy also harshly criticized ICE and CBP, saying Minneapolis is “fundamentally less safe” after the shooting, which was the second death at the hands of federal officers in the city this month.
“(Federal immigration agents) are there to cause a conflict. They are there to create mayhem,” Murphy said. “And it isn’t going to be just isolated to Minneapolis as they continue to staff up with officers who are not trained for this kind of work. This is going to be in Philadelphia. This is going to be in Phoenix.”
Police chiefs association calls on White House to lead discussions and identify "constructive path forward"
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has called on the White House to lead discussions to find a “constructive path forward” after the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old US citizen by federal officers in Minneapolis yesterday.
The IACP is “concerned by the ongoing challenges affecting public safety, law enforcement professionals, and the communities they serve,” the organization said in a statement.
“Comprehensive training, investigative integrity, adherence to the rule of law, and strong coordination among federal, state, and local partners” all contribute to “effective public safety,” the IACP said.
“In times of uncertainty, elected leaders at all levels play a critical role in de-escalating tensions by using measured, responsible rhetoric that reinforces lawful processes and public trust rather than deepening division,” it continued.
New York City mayor says federal government is acting like an “enemy” toward its people
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Sunday the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis should shock people and accused the federal government of acting like an enemy toward its own citizens.
“To see ICE murder yet another person in this country and any attempt to try and paint this man as an enemy of the state is frankly an attempt to distract from the real question – which is what has the state done to make itself an enemy of the people.”
Mamdani, part of a growing chorus of lawmakers who have called to abolish ICE, has been critical of immigration operations in other cities. While ICE enforcement is happening in New York, it is not at the large scale that has been reported in other cities.
“These ICE raids are cruel, they are inhumane, they do nothing to serve the interest of public safety,” he added.
Mamdani has said he tried to dissuade President Donald Trump from increasing enforcement in the city, saying the added enforcement will not ensure public safety.
“We have to speak plainly – what we saw in Minneapolis, this is something that should shock all of us. We are speaking about the murder of a person on the street for the crime of standing up for someone else,” Mamdani said.
