DHS faces internal backlash over narrative in Alex Pretti killing

WASHINGTON, DC: Immigration enforcement officials are privately expressing anger over how the Department of Homeland Security's public characterization of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents, according to multiple federal sources.

Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin reported late Sunday that more than half a dozen immigration enforcement officials, including several in senior roles, have voiced skepticism about DHS’s handling of the incident, particularly public statements suggesting Pretti intended to carry out a “massacre” of law enforcement agents.

“These sources have grown increasingly uneasy and frustrated with some of the claims and narratives DHS pushed in the aftermath of the shooting,” Melugin wrote on X.

DHS claims clash with video evidence, sources say

According to Melugin’s reporting, officials object to senior DHS figures appearing on television and asserting that Pretti intended to inflict “maximum damage” on law enforcement, even after multiple videos surfaced that appear to contradict those claims.

While the sources said it was a serious error for Pretti to arrive armed and involve himself in an active federal operation, they maintain there is no evidence he intended to kill law enforcement officers. Videos, they note, appear to show that Pretti never drew his holstered firearm.

“They say this messaging from DHS officials has been catastrophic from a PR and morale perspective,” Melugin reported, adding that agents believe the narrative is eroding trust and credibility both within the agency and with the public.

Frustration with leadership spills into the open

The anger intensified following remarks from senior officials. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a Saturday news conference that the incident “looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and kill law enforcement.”

 Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino echoed that assessment in a separate briefing, saying the individual appeared to want to “massacre law enforcement.”

Melugin said his sources, whom he described as broadly supportive of Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda, were incensed by such remarks.

One source called the response “a case study on how not to do crisis PR,” while another said they were so “fed up” they wished they could retire. Others warned that “DHS is making the situation worse” and that the agency is “losing the base and the narrative.”

“This individual committed a federal crime while armed as he obstructed an active law enforcement operation. As with any situation that is evolving, we work to give swift, accurate information to the American people as more information becomes available.”