The Department of Homeland Security has taken two federal immigration agents involved in a deadly shooting off field duty as an investigation into the incident moves forward.
Two Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers involved in a deadly Minnesota shooting on Saturday have been placed on administrative leave, a spokesperson for the agency confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation. The incident involved Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse who allegedly obstructed a federal immigration operation at the time of the deadly encounter. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: ICE Seeks Illegal Migrant ‘Monster’ Accused Of Raping 11-Year-Old At Knifepoint)
“The two officers involved are on administrative leave. This is standard protocol,” the CBP spokesperson stated to the DNCF.
Pretti, who was carrying a semi-automatic pistol at the time, confronted Border Patrol agents attempting to conduct an enforcement operation in Minneapolis, ultimately leading to a deadly scuffle. The incident marked the second deadly shooting in the city involving federal immigration agents, with Renee Good having been fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent earlier in January after allegedly plowing her car into the agent.
While initially referring to Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” who posed a serious threat to law enforcement agents, top administration officials have since backtracked on this framing. Border Patrol Commander at Large Gregory Bovino, who led the federal immigration enforcement surge across Minnesota, has reportedly been demoted and instructed to leave the state.
The two incidents have sparked intense public backlash, with Democrats in Congress threatening a government shutdown unless major reforms are enacted. A growing chorus of liberal lawmakers are also demanding Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem be impeached for the shootings.
President Donald Trump dispatched Tom Homan, who leads the administration’s deportation agenda, to Minnesota to handle the chaotic situation. The president also confirmed he had a productive phone call with Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and that the two were on a similar “wavelength” over how to work together.
“It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump posted Monday on Truth Social. “I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession. The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be speaking to him in the near future.”
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