Ana Navarro praises Alex Pretti, calls him a man 'you'd want to date your daughter'

Ana Navarro slammed federal agents over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, saying, 'They killed the wrong guy, because this is like the perfect guy'
PUBLISHED JAN 30, 2026
Ana Navarro praised Alex Pretti following his fatal shooting by a Border Patrol agent during her appearance on CNN’s 'NewsNight' (@SteveGues, @va.gov/X)
Ana Navarro praised Alex Pretti following his fatal shooting by a Border Patrol agent during her appearance on CNN’s 'NewsNight' (@SteveGues, @va.gov/X)


MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Ana Navarro described ICE nurse Alex Pretti as the “perfect guy,” someone “you’d want your daughter to date” during her recent appearance on CNN's 'NewsNight'.  

Navarro praised Pretti in glowing terms following his death. Coverage across major outlets emphasized his work as an ICU nurse and his service to veterans. Pretti was fatally shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent on Saturday, January 24, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

A picture sits at a memorial to Alex Pretti on January 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pretti, an ICU nurse at a VA medical center, died on January 24 after being shot multiple times during a brief altercation with border patrol agents in the Eat Street district of Minneapolis. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
A picture sits at a memorial to Alex Pretti on January 25, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pretti, an ICU nurse at a VA medical center, died on January 24 after being shot multiple times during a brief altercation with border patrol agents in the Eat Street district of Minneapolis. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Ana Navarro says nothing that has been said about Alex Pretti that 'isn’t wonderful'

CNN panelist Ana Navarro spoke out on Wednesday, January 28, four days after Alex Pretti was shot by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis. Navarro, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, slammed federal agents, saying, “They killed the wrong guy, because this is like the perfect guy.” 

She added, “Alex Pretti is the guy you’d want to date your daughter, the guy you want your son to grow up to be, a decent human being who was serving humanity, serving sick veterans.”

Navarro also pushed back against efforts to tarnish Pretti’s reputation, saying, “There is nothing that has been said about that man that isn’t wonderful. And so they can’t malign him."

Ana Navarro attends the
Ana Navarro attends the 'Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything' premiere during the 2025 Tribeca Festival at SVA Theater on June 12, 2025, in New York City (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)

“They can’t malign him because we have the videos, so they can’t say he’s a would-be-assassin, and people believe them," 'The View' host further noted. “They can’t say, as they said, that he was there to commit a massacre.”

Alex Pretti’s death sparks debate over use of force by federal officers 

Pretti had been protesting immigration enforcement and recording federal agents when they pushed him to the ground and shot him. Body-camera footage released by authorities shows agents pulling a pistol from Pretti’s waistband moments before the shooting.

State officials said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, and his death has sparked a national debate over whether the shooting was justified, with some critics calling it murder. 



Separately, a video released shows Pretti spitting at federal agents during a protest on January 13. His family confirmed to the Minnesota Star Tribune that the video shows Pretti. 

In the footage, he is seen shouting, spitting, and kicking the taillight of a federal SUV, repeatedly yelling “f*** you” and flashing his middle fingers at agents before being taken to the ground. He was not arrested. 

The Pretti family’s attorney, Steve Schleicher, told Fox News, “A week before Alex was gunned down in the street, despite posing no threat to anyone, he was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents.” Schleicher added, “Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex’s killing at the hands of ICE on January 24.”

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