Senators call for investigation into killing of Alex Pretti : NPR
A person holds a sign during a vigil for Alex Pretti, 37, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer earlier in the day, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
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Congressional leaders are objecting to the Trump administration’s narrative of the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen fatally shot by federal agents during an anti-immigration protest in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., accused the administration of a “cover-up” Sunday and said the federal government was ignoring a court order that allows state investigators access to evidence in Pretti’s murder.
“Our state investigators had to obtain a warrant to gain access to evidence from the Alex Pretti shooting,” Smith said. “And even then, federal agents refused to give them access to the evidence. So this looks very much like another cover-up.”
Pretti’s killing drew strong bipartisan condemnation, forceful defense from the Trump administration and the prospect of another government shutdown, this one over funding from the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is part of DHS.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement Saturday that her department would lead the investigation into the killing. Meanwhile, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CBS News on Sunday that his department has not received any cooperation or information from the federal government.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., warned the Trump administration against trying to exclude local and state law enforcement from the investigation.
“There must be a thorough and impartial investigation into yesterday’s shooting in Minneapolis,” Tillis said in a message released Sunday morning. “Any administration official who rushes to judgment and attempts to end an investigation before it begins is doing a disservice to the nation and the legacy of President Trump.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., also called for a “comprehensive federal-state joint investigation” and said “the credibility of ICE and DHS is at stake” in a statement.
On Sunday, Trump administration officials continued to defend the federal agents who killed Pretti. President Trump’s head of immigration operations, Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, told CNN that federal agents were “the victims” and said Pretti “perpetrated violence” during an active immigration enforcement operation.
“This suspect shot himself with a gun in this law enforcement situation,” Bovino said.
Video evidence and eyewitness accounts that have surfaced so far refute this claim. There is no evidence that NPR verified that Pretti brandished his handgun at any time during the encounter with federal agents.
On Saturday, Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said that if a U.S. citizen approached law enforcement with a gun, federal agents “would be legally justified to shoot you.”
The powerful National Rifle Association and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., criticized Essayli.
“Carrying a gun is not a death sentence, it is a divine right protected by the Constitution, and if you don’t understand that, you have no business dealing with law enforcement or government,” Massie said on X.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., suggested Sunday that Trump remove ICE from Minneapolis because local law enforcement is not cooperating.
“If the mayor and the governor want to put our ICE officials in danger and there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide if we want to continue to have all these illegals,” Comer said on Fox News.
Congressional criticism of the White House, even from a small number of House and Senate Republicans, has been rare during Trump’s second presidency. But it remains unclear what the GOP-led Congress will do to force a local and federal investigation.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are poised to block government funding in response to killings by DHS agents in Minnesota.
The House and Senate passed full-year funding only for certain parts of the federal government, such as the Departments of Commerce, Justice and Interior. But funding for some of the country’s largest departments, like the Pentagon or DHS, has not yet been approved by the Senate.
Last week, the House passed a measure to fund these remaining departments. In the Senate, Republicans will need Democrats to pass the funding plan – which requires at least 60 votes to move forward.
“When they kill two constituents in my state, and they take 2-year-olds out of their mothers’ arms, and they take an elderly Hmong man out of his house and put him outside in his underwear and then find out they have the wrong man,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Sunday on NBC News. “No, I am not voting for this funding.”
On Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would not vote for the spending package if it included funding for DHS.
Senate Democrats are expected to hold a conference call Sunday evening to discuss their legislative strategy, according to two sources familiar with the plan but not authorized to share details publicly. If changes are made to the spending package, the House will have to return to the Capitol and approve the Senate’s changes.
The funding deadline is Friday.
