Ilhan Omar says Alex Pretti and Renee Good were exercising ‘First Amendment’ rights when shot

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Ilhan Omar said on Tuesday, January 27, that Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good were exercising their First Amendment rights when they were fatally shot by federal agents during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. 

Omar emphasized that Pretti and Good were acting out of concern for their community rather than aggression.

She said Pretti, a 37-year-old Veterans Affairs intensive care unit nurse, “had deep care for his community” and moved to intervene when he saw ICE agents confront and push residents during enforcement operations. “His deep care for his community led him to stand against the ICE’s brutal actions in our city,” Omar said.

Ilhan Omar links deaths to ICE operations

Alex Pretti was killed during an ICE operation on January 24. Eyewitness videos show Pretti filming agents as he intervened to help a woman who had been shoved to the ground and pepper-sprayed.

Witnesses said he did not brandish a weapon before agents engaged him. Omar described his actions as protective rather than confrontational.

On January 7, 2026, Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three from Minneapolis, was shot and killed by an ICE enforcement agent during a federal operation in the city.

According to reports, agents approached Good’s vehicle and, after a brief confrontation, an ICE agent opened fire, striking her multiple times. Authorities later ruled her death a homicide.

Omar called for independent investigations into both incidents and emphasized the need for federal authorities to be held accountable. “He should be alive today,” she said of Pretti, while warning that ongoing aggressive operations threaten public safety and civil liberties.

Ilhan Omar sprayed with unknown substance during town hall

Witnesses said a man suddenly charged toward Ilhan Omar during the town hall and appeared to spray her with an unidentified liquid before being restrained. Members of the crowd shouted that he had “sprayed her” as security moved in to remove him from the venue.

“This a*****e cannot get away with it,” Omar was heard saying as attendees reacted in shock.

The man was later taken into custody as investigators began examining the substance used and his motive. Despite the disruption, Omar insisted on continuing the event and returned to the podium moments later, drawing applause from the crowd as she resumed addressing constituents.