Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on Tuesday called for the Border Patrol officer who allegedly killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday to be “immediately” put on administrative leave — and for an independent investigation into the fatal shooting.
Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, wrote in an X post he cannot recall a time when a police chief immediately called the victim of a deadly shooting a “domestic terrorist” or a “would-be assassin.” Shortly after the shooting, the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement alleging that the deceased, later identified as Pretti, approached Border Patrol agents with a gun and appeared intent on “massacr[ing] law enforcement.”
“Local police routinely, put officers involved in deadly shootings on administrative leave until an independent investigation is concluded. That should happen immediately,” Paul wrote on social media. “I can’t recall ever hearing a police chief immediately describing the victim as a ‘domestic terrorist’ or a ‘would-be assassin.’ For calm to be restored, an independent investigation is the least that should be done.”
The Trump administration acknowledged on Monday that the only investigation taking place was a “use of force” review by DHS — which is not an investigation that seeks to conclude whether the officers involved will face criminal charges, The New York Times reported.
Paul on Monday called for the heads of Immigration Control Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), all agencies of the DHS, to testify before his Homeland Security Committee.
“As you know, the Department of Homeland Security has been provided an exceptional amount of funding to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws. Congress has an obligation to conduct oversight of those tax dollars and ensure the funding is used to accomplish the mission, provide proper support for our law enforcement, and, most importantly, protect the American people,” the Kentucky Republican wrote in a letter sent to the three directors.
CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said Tuesday that the Trump administration’s current probe into Pretti’s shooting contains “irregularities” noting that typically the FBI alongside the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) would lead such an investigation. The DHS’ “use of force” review will focus on the Border Patrol’s tactics and conduct rather than determining if agents broke the law in shooting Pretti.
DHS also opened an in-house review into the fatal Jan. 7 shooting of Renee Good — also in Minneapolis — DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS News on Jan. 18. The DOJ has yet to open an investigation into the ICE agent accused of killing Good.
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a Saturday statement that Pretti, whom she called a “suspect,” had at the time of his fatal shooting “2 magazines and no ID.”
“[T]his looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” McLaughlin added in the statement.
Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller described Pretti as an “assassin [who] tried to murder federal agents,” and Miller, alongside DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, said Pretti appeared to be a “domestic terrorist.”
Videos of the incident appear to reveal Pretti never brandished his weapon, and sworn witness statements made by two bystanders also claim Pretti never revealed his gun. Local officials also believe Pretti was a lawful gun owner who had a permit for the firearm.
The DHS did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
As Democratic lawmakers look to revoke appropriated funds for DHS, Paul also highlighted the drastic funding increase the DHS received from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July, leading the agency to operate on a surplus of funds even if they were to receive no funding through the current appropriations package approved by the House.
“This week, the Senate will debate whether to appropriate $10 billion for ICE. Keep in mind the BBB gave ICE about $18.7 billion per year for 4 years,” Paul wrote on X. “So, even if we don’t vote to provide ICE with additional funding, ICE would still have 87% more funding this year than last year.”
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