US immigration agents killed an American citizen in Minneapolis yesterday, officials said, sparking fierce protests and condemnations from local leaders. This is the second such incident this month.
Department of Homeland Security officials said the Border Patrol agent fired in self-defense after the man with the gun resisted their attempts to disarm him. Local leaders have questioned the claim, which Reuters could not independently confirm, and which appears to be contradicted by videos posted online, according to the news agency.
The slain man was identified in media reports and on social media as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old medical technician who worked at a veterans hospital in Minneapolis. In the videos of passers-by checked by Reuters, Preti can be seen standing on the street and filming the agents with a mobile phone.
The footage shows one of the agents apparently using pepper spray against Preti and other protesters. As Preti tries to block the spray and help other protesters, several agents tackle him to the ground and begin kicking him in the head and body. While Preti is being held down, one of the agents draws a firearm, followed by multiple gunshots. Preti’s body can then be seen lying motionless in the street.
The White House also spoke out, calling the agents heroes.
“ICE heroes are taking dangerous criminal illegal immigrants off our streets to protect American families. At the same time, the local leadership of Minnesota is again choosing politics over the safety of law-abiding Americans,” they wrote on X, sharing Trump’s message
