Stephen Miller claims CBP may have ignored White House guidance meant to limit confrontations
WASHINGTON, DC: The White House is reviewing whether Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents failed to follow established protocols during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis that ended with the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, according to Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller on Wednesday, January 28.
Miller said guidance had been issued to limit the role of additional federal personnel sent to Minnesota and reduce the risk of confrontations with protesters.
His comments marked a shift from earlier administration statements that characterized Pretti as a serious threat to law enforcement. The incident has prompted internal reviews, public backlash, and changes to the leadership and structure of the operation.
White House guidance on DHS deployment
Miller said that the White House had instructed the Department of Homeland Security to use additional personnel deployed to Minnesota strictly for force protection during fugitive operations.
He said that those agents were meant to act as a buffer between arrest teams and protesters, rather than engage directly.
“Additionally, the White House provided clear guidance to DHS that the extra personnel that had been sent to Minnesota for force protection should be used for conducting fugitive operations to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors,” Miller said.
“We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol,” he added.
Miller acknowledged that the initial statements issued by DHS following Pretti’s death, including claims that he “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” were based on reports from CBP officers on the ground.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Miller himself had described Pretti on social media as a “would-be assassin” and accused Democrats of siding with “the t********s.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also defended the agents’ actions, saying Pretti approached officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and “violently resisted” efforts to disarm him.
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots,” she said.
Administration adjusts response amid backlash and investigation
At the White House on Tuesday, President Donald Trump declined to say whether the shooting was justified, emphasizing that the matter remained under investigation.
“Well, you know, we're doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I'm going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself,” Trump said.
Despite publicly backing Noem and saying that she was “doing a very good job,” Trump made several changes in response to the controversy.
He dispatched Border Czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to oversee operations, removed Border Patrol commander at large Gregory Bovino from his role in the area, and told Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey that some federal agents would begin leaving the city.
Trump said that the adjustments did not represent a reversal of policy.
“It’s not a pullback,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News. “It’s a little bit of a change.”
He added, “Everybody in this room that has a business, you know, you make little changes. You know Bovino is very good, but he’s a pretty out-there kind of a guy, and in some cases, that’s good, maybe it wasn’t good here.”
