Fatal shooting of Alex Pretti put ICE funding in national spotlight, again

The killing of Alex Pretti in Minnesota at the hands of federal immigration officials has rattled the country.

Pretti was shot multiple times Saturday after intervening in a immigration enforcement operation. Videos show Pretti being wrestled to the ground by multiple agents, his concealed firearm removed, and a federal agent firing ten shots at him while he was on the ground, unarmed. 

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Alex Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and claimed that agents acted in self-defense. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called DHS’s characterization “nonsense” and “lies” and the killing itself “sickening.”

Pretti’s killing comes weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good.

There are currently about five times as many ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents in the Twin Cities as there are police on the Minneapolis police force. Minneapolis residents are banding together on Signal chats and in the streets to resist “Operation Metro Surge.” 

Meanwhile, Democratic senators are vowing to shut down the government if DHS funding is included in an upcoming spending package. Senator Chuck Schumer called the events in Minneapolis “appalling” and “unacceptable in any American city.” 

Guests:

• Matt Sepic, courts and legal affairs reporter for Minnesota Public Radio
• U.S. Senator Andy Kim, New Jersey Democrat
• Nick Miroff, staff writer at The Atlantic who covers immigration and the Department of Homeland Security