Minnesota raids continue as DHS report indicates two agents fired guns at Pretti | Minnesota

As the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota continues Tuesday, an initial report to Congress from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) obtained by various media outlets indicates that two agents fired their weapons at Alex Pretti during his fatal shooting.

The report was released as Donald Trump signals he may begin reducing the influx of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents into the state.

Obtained by CNN and CBS News, the report from Customs and Border Protection’s initial investigation into the Pretti shooting states that the incident unfolded as follows: “CBP [Customs and Border Protection] staff attempted to arrest Pretti. Pretti resisted the efforts of CBP personnel and a struggle ensued. During the fight, a BPA [border patrol agent] shouted: “He has a gun!” several times. Approximately five seconds later, a BPA discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a CBPO [CBP officer] also unloaded his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti.

The report does not indicate whether one or both discharges hit Pretti, but notes that the firearm taken from Pretti was “subsequently cleaned and secured” in the Border Patrol agent’s car.

The report notably confirms video footage showing Pretti helping a woman who had been confronted by officers.

“The CBPO was confronted by two civilian women who were whistling. The CBPO ordered the civilian women to get off the road, and the civilian women did not move. The CBPO pushed them both away and one of the women ran toward a man, later identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, a United States citizen. The CBPO attempted to move the woman and Pretti off the roadway. The woman and Pretti did not move. The CBPO deployed his Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray on both Pretti and the woman,” the report states.

After the killings of Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents, events that have since sparked statewide and national outrage, numerous videos circulating online show Minnesota ICE agents openly displaying aggressive behavior, often in front of children.

In a video released Tuesday, officers are seen surrounding a crying woman holding a young girl as they arrested her relative. In tears, the woman pleaded in Spanish, repeatedly asking, “Sir, why? Why?” As the scene unfolded, onlookers shouted in protest: “What the hell are you doing? Don’t you have any humanity?” while others shouted: “Don’t shoot him! Don’t shoot him!” in apparent reference to the woman’s relative.

Another video that emerged in recent days shows armed ICE agents firing several rounds of tear gas near a Minneapolis preschool as nearby residents shouted, “It’s a preschool, you stupid bastards! There are kids here, you fucking idiots!”

A video released Tuesday shows an ICE agent sitting in his car while openly threatening a bystander, saying, “I’ll tell you this, brother. You raise your voice, I’ll erase your voice.”

These videos are circulating as backlash against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues to intensify – particularly after the recent killings of Pretti and Good – but also following the detention of a five-year-old boy in Minneapolis.

Speaking at the Minnesota state capitol on Tuesday, school principals, teachers and parents expressed concerns about the impact of ICE raids on classrooms.

“These actions have changed the very fabric of our Columbia Heights schools and made every student, teacher and parent less safe,” said Peg Nelson, an elementary school teacher in the district where Ramos was detained. “Students are afraid to come to school. We have not seen such absenteeism since Covid.”

Echoing that sentiment, Columbia Heights School Board President Mary Granlund said, “Today, Columbia Heights residents woke up to cars still running, doors open, empty, left in the street… This message is to remind people that it’s not over. It’s still happening and we need your help to bring our children home and make our families and communities whole again.”

Later Tuesday, Trump defended his administration’s actions and said it was conducting a “major investigation” into Pretti’s killing.

“I want to see the investigation. I’m going to see to it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself,” he said.

Trump also defended Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who faces growing calls from Democrats to resign or be removed over her handling of immigration operations and the department’s response to the killings of Pretti and Good.

“I think she’s doing a very good job. The border is completely secure,” Trump said of Noem, adding that he would not fire her.

Noem called Pretti a “domestic terrorist” after his assassination, without evidence to support the claim. She used similar language about Good, describing the actions of the ICE agent who shot him as an appropriate response to an “act of domestic terrorism.” Good was unarmed in her car and video evidence shows she tried to walk away from the officer before being shot three times.

Despite opposition from educators, parents and other Minnesota residents, the Trump administration has justified its series of violent immigration operations in the state by claiming they target “large-scale fraud schemes” as part of their purported goal of deporting undocumented immigrants involved in serious criminal activity.

Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, Trump claimed — without evidence — that fraud in Minnesota totaled about $19 billion, adding, “If they think it’s $19 billion, triple it or quadruple it.” »