DHS response to Minneapolis shooting sparks internal backlash: sources
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Deep internal divisions in federal immigration enforcement have emerged over how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) handled public outcry and messaging after the deadly Border Patrol attack in Minneapolis, Fox News has learned.
More than a half-dozen federal law enforcement officials involved in immigration enforcement told Fox News that growing frustration with the way senior officials publicly framed the incident has fueled internal debates about tone, strategy and credibility as scrutiny intensifies.
The shooting occurred Saturday during a morning immigration enforcement operation when a Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident and Veterans Affairs intensive care unit nurse. Authorities say Pretti was armed with a handgun and two magazines.
In the hours and days that followed, DHS officials publicly identified Pretti as a domestic terrorist and said he was trying to “inflict maximum harm” on federal agents or carry out a “massacre”; This language sparked internal criticism from within the ministry.
VANCE SAYS UNREST IN MINNEAPOLIS AFTER FATAL SHOOTING WERE ‘BOARDED CHAOS’
A woman blows her whistle at U.S. Border Patrol agents at a gas station in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 21, 2026. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
Authorities say multiple videos that subsequently emerged have called into question the DHS narrative, increasing frustration among agents who believe senior officials moved too quickly to characterize the incident before all the facts were known.
Internal disputes have damaged public relations and morale, damaged trust and reputation, and intensified broader debates within the administration about how DHS leadership handles high-profile, politically charged incidents, officials say.
Officials speaking to Fox News said they support the mass deportation agenda, but have serious reservations about the messaging and how the agenda is being carried out.
Republican Lawmaker RENEWS DHS AGENCIES’ REQUEST FOR OVERSIGHT HEARINGS AFTER DEADLY SHOOTINGS IN MINNEAPOLIS
Federal agents fire tear gas at protesters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 24, 2026. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Some also expressed frustration that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is routinely blamed for the actions of the Border Patrol, a separate agency.
Some officials described DHS’s response to the shooting as “a case study in how not to do crisis PR”; one said they were so “fed up” they wished they could retire, another said “DHS is making it worse,” and another added, “DHS is at fault” and “we are losing this war, losing the foundation and the narrative.”
Fox News has reached out to DHS for comment about concerns that its rhetoric and communications may have damaged the agency’s credibility.
SHOTS REPORTED ACROSS THE BORDER CIRCUIT IN MINNEAPOLIS
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem participated in a roundtable discussion with local farmers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection workers in Brownsville, Texas, on Jan. 7. (Michael González/Getty Image)
“We witnessed a highly coordinated campaign of violence against law enforcement,” DHS said in a statement to Fox News. “This individual committed a federal crime while armed for obstructing an active law enforcement operation. As with any developing situation, we strive to provide prompt, accurate information to the American people as more information becomes available.”
Those internal frictions are now on the rise, officials say, amid widespread criticism that aggressive tactics by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem are weakening public support for her mass deportation agenda and putting federal agents at risk.
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Fox News previously reported in October that deep internal friction had emerged within the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort, with rival camps within DHS divided over enforcement priorities, tactics and how aggressively to carry out deportations.
