6 things to know about the ongoing unrest in Minneapolis: 'A wake-up call'
1. Shooting of Alex Pretti reignites tensions
Tensions in Minneapolis boiled over again on Saturday and throughout recent days after officers with Border Patrol fatally shot Pretti following a tense scuffle. Agents found a gun on Pretti, though video of the incident appears to show an agent unholstering it before Pretti was shot.
The shooting prompted riots almost immediately, with demonstrators later breaking into and damaging a hotel where ICE agents were reportedly staying near the University of Minnesota campus on Sunday night.
Some in the Trump administration were quick to claim that Pretti had intended to kill federal officers, with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claiming Saturday that he was "brandishing" a gun and was attempting to "massacre" federal agents.
FBI Director Kash Patel echoed Noem's assertion, and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino claimed Pretti intended to inflict "maximum damage."
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller alleged in an X post that Pretti was "an assassin" who "tried to murder federal agents," which was retweeted by Vice President JD Vance.
Such early assertions about Pretti's alleged intentions drew condemnation from his parents, who issued a statement pushing back. "The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting," they said in part.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday appeared to distance President Donald Trump from such characterizations, noting that the president is waiting for the full investigation into the incident.
According to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, some within ICE and DHS "have grown increasingly uneasy [and] frustrated [with] some of the claims [and] narratives DHS pushed in the aftermath of the shooting."
Melugin's sources expressed "extreme frustration with DHS officials going on TV and putting out statements claiming that Alex Pretti was intending to conduct a 'massacre' of federal agents or wanted to carry out 'maximum damage,' even after numerous videos appeared to show those claims were inaccurate."
"While they say it was a terrible decision to show up with a gun and inject himself into a federal law enforcement operation, there is no indication Pretti was there to murder law enforcement, as videos appear to show he never drew his holstered firearm," he continued.
Melugin added that his sources "say this messaging from DHS officials has been catastrophic from a PR and morale perspective" while "eroding trust and credibility."
NEW: Since yesterday's deadly shooting in MN, I've talked to more than half a dozen federal sources involved immigration enforcement, including several in senior positions, who all tell me they have grown increasingly uneasy & frustrated w/ some of the claims & narratives DHS…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 25, 2026
The shooting of Pretti comes weeks after the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who was fatally shot by an ICE officer when she drove her SUV toward him after obstructing traffic and refusing to comply with an order to get out of her vehicle.
A second ICE-involved shooting happened days later, when an illegal immigrant fled during a traffic stop and was later shot in the leg by an ICE officer after he allegedly ambushed him with a shovel.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
