Donald Trump says his administration is reviewing Alex Pretti shooting | Minneapolis
Donald Trump refused to say whether the federal officer who fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis acted appropriately, saying his administration was reviewing the incident and would send the border czar to Minnesota.
The US president told the Wall Street Journal: short interview that immigration enforcement officers will leave the Minneapolis area “at some point.”
The publication said Trump did not respond directly when asked twice about whether the officer who shot Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, did the right thing. He went further and said: “We are looking, we are reviewing everything and we will come out with determination.”
Then on Monday morning, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would send border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis. “Tom is tough but fair and will report directly to me,” Trump wrote.
Undercover FBI agents noted Homan accepted $50,000 in cash in 2024 in exchange for future government contract assistance. Trump’s justice department closed the bribery investigation last year due to insufficient evidence that Democratic leaders described as a cover-up.
The Trump administration is grappling with the fallout from the surge of federal immigration agents into Minnesota and the deaths of two American citizens in clashes with federal agents. Lawsuits from state and local officials seeking to end the federal surge will be heard in federal court Monday, where a judge will consider a new legal question: Do the thousands of arrests, three shootings and two deaths in the surge disrupt civil order enough to violate 10th amendment rights to state sovereignty?
In a Wall Street Journal interview, Trump criticized Pretti for carrying a gun during protest activity. “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like this,” Trump told the publication. “But I don’t like it when someone shows up at a protest and they have a very powerful, fully loaded gun and also two magazines full of bullets. That doesn’t work either.”
Trump signaled his intention to eventually withdraw immigration enforcement officials from the Minneapolis area, saying: “At some point we’re going to be gone. We did it, they did a phenomenal job.”
A growing number of Republicans are pushing for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics in Minnesota following Pretti’s fatal shooting; It’s a sign that the Trump administration’s accounting of events may face bipartisan scrutiny.
Andrew Garbarino, the Republican chairman of the House homeland security committee, requested testimony from leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying “my top priority is keeping Americans safe,” according to the Associated Press.
Other congressional Republicans, including Representative Michael McCaul of Texas and senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, pressed for more information. Their statements, along with concerns voiced by several Republican governors, reflect a party grappling with how to respond to federal agents’ killing of Pretti.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Pretti “violently resisted” the officers and they fired “defensive shots.” Video evidence contradicts this statement. Trump also shared a photo of the gun Pretti allegedly had on him. Real Social postIt reads: “This gunman has his gun loaded (with two additional loaded magazines!) and ready to go.”
Pretti was reportedly legally allowed to carry a gun. The widely circulated video of his shooting death does not appear to depict him holding a gun; It shows a police officer reaching into Pretti’s waistband and walking away with what appears to be a gun, after which Pretti is shot and killed.
The National Rifle Association, the nation’s largest pro-gun group, also responded after Bill Essayli, who was tapped by Trump to serve as the interim U.S. attorney in California in 2025, posted on social media: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there’s a good chance they’ll be legally justified in shooting you.”
The NRA shared: “This sentiment… is dangerous and wrong. The responsible public should not make generalizations and demonize law-abiding citizens, but should await a full investigation.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene, former House Republican from Georgia Posted in support category He defended the right of law enforcement officers to carry firearms, however, legally. “I unapologetically believe in border security and deporting illegal criminals and support law enforcement. But I also unapologetically support the 2nd amendment,” Greene wrote. “Lawfully carrying a firearm is not the same as brandishing a firearm.
He added: “I support Americans’ 1st and 4th amendment rights. There is nothing wrong with peacefully protesting and making videos legally.”
Democrats have vowed not to take any more funding from DHS unless a bill comes before the Senate soon that would include reforms that would restrict deportation actions by federal agents.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats won’t be able to provide the necessary votes if DHS funding remains in moderation. A spokesman for Senate majority leader John Thune said DHS and other government funding would be voted on as a single package. Without a compromise, the government will face a partial shutdown at the end of January.
Connecticut Democratic senator Chris Murphy told CNN’s State of the Union that Democrats “cannot vote to fund this lawless Department of Homeland Security that is killing American citizens, violating the law and traumatizing little girls and boys across the country.”
