Trump calls for ‘honorable’ probe into Alex Pretti shooting, vows to ‘de-escalate’ enforcement push

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: President Donald Trump promised to cool down his administration’s aggressive immigration push in Minnesota, saying he wants an “honorable and honest investigation” into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents.

The comments came after Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a veterans’ hospital, was killed by border agents over the weekend. He was the second US citizen to die in an encounter with federal immigration officers in the state this year.

Trump calls for an investigation into Alex Pretti's death

President Donald Trump addressed the shooting during a Fox News interview. “Bottom line, it was terrible. Both of them were terrible,” he said, referring to Alex Pretti’s death and the earlier killing of Renee Nicole Good.

Trump also spoke about Good’s family. “I’m not sure about his parents, but I know her parents were big Trump fans. Makes me feel bad anyway. But I mean, I guess you could say even worse,” he said. The president added that he would be personally monitoring the case. “I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it,” Trump said.

Good, 37, was fatally shot by an immigration officer in early January. Alex Pretti was killed weeks later after being stopped by border agents. The deaths reignited protests in Minneapolis and fueled bipartisan backlash over federal enforcement tactics in Minnesota.

Ahead of a campaign rally in Iowa on Tuesday night, Trump again described Pretti’s killing as “a very unfortunate incident.” 

Asked whether he agreed with characterizations of Pretti as a “domestic t*rrorist,” Trump said, “I haven’t heard that.” He then added, “He shouldn’t have been carrying a gun.”

Disputed Alex Pretti shooting triggers DHS leadership shake-up

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said Alex Pretti was shot because he was “brandishing” a gun during a confrontation with federal agents.

Local authorities, however, have disputed that version of events. Officials said the firearm was legally registered and that Pretti was shot after the weapon had been removed.

Eyewitnesses and local officials have also challenged DHS claims that agents fired in self-defense, saying Pretti was holding a phone, not a gun, at the time he was shot.

In the immediate aftermath, Noem accused Pretti of “domestic t*rrorism.” She declared, “He wasn’t there to peacefully protest, he was there to perpetuate violence.” On Monday, DHS reportedly pulled the leader and public face of the Minnesota operation, Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, from the state.

The department said White House border czar Tom Homan would take over. On January 27, Homan posted on social media that he had met with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and local law enforcement officials.

Pretti’s death, coming just two weeks after Renee Good’s killing, prompted renewed calls from state and city officials to withdraw the roughly 3,000 immigration agents and officers deployed across the region.

Trump vows de-escalation amid Minnesota backlash

Despite the backlash, President Donald Trump continued to defend the broader Minnesota operation.

In his Fox News interview, Trump said federal agents had removed “thousands of hardened criminals” from the state, adding that “so they have good crime numbers.”

“That’s all working out, we have Tom Homan there now,” Trump said. “…We’re going to de-escalate a little bit,” he promised, adding that Homan, “as tough as he is,” gets along with governors and mayors, even in Democratic-led areas.

Behind the scenes, the White House is also examining whether agents followed protocol. Top aide Stephen Miller told CNN that the administration had issued specific instructions to the Department of Homeland Security regarding the use of additional personnel.

“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 [US Customs and Border Patrol] team may not have been following that protocol,” he added. A federal judge has blocked DHS from destroying or altering any evidence related to the case.