Dem
47
GOP
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ICE, as you may have heard, is busy protecting Americans from the teeming brown hordes of undocumented immigrants. In service of this goal, ICE officers have developed a habit of shooting at U.S. citizens. Some of those citizens have died of their injuries. That happened with Renee Good on January 7, and it happened again yesterday.
Another American Dead
The scene of the killing, yet again, was Minneapolis. The victim is Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old who worked as an ICU nurse at a veterans hospital. That's a very important, very high-pressure job serving an important community. So, one could argue that Pretti was something of a hero. And now he's a dead hero.
Here's a photo of Pretti; there are several of them in wide circulation, and they all have about the same "vibe" as this one:
It pretty much screams "nice guy," doesn't it? We make a point of including this because this is turning into a giant political struggle. And a sympathetic victim—indeed, one might say a sympathetic martyr—is a powerful thing indeed. Good was a mother who was dropping her kids off at school, and was endowed with a big, bright smile. Pretti was a nurse who helped sick and wounded veterans, and was endowed with a big, bright smile. There is no question they will generate a lot of sympathy.
As with Good, there is video footage of the last moments of Pretti's life. And this time around, there is considerably more of it, because everyone is getting out their cameras these days anytime ICE is on the scene. This video affords the best insight, in our view, because of the angle and because the key moments are slowed down. It is, of course, very hard to watch, so be forewarned before you click:
In case you do not wish to watch, or you struggled to parse what was going on (we had to watch several times), here's a breakdown of the key elements:
After Pretti was dead, some ICE agents tried to flee, while others temporarily blocked an on-site doctor from rendering medical aid. In addition, the federal agents tried to prevent local law enforcement from beginning an investigation. Given how this White House rolls, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have already gone to court and gotten a temporary order barring the federal government from destroying any evidence. The order was signed by Judge Eric Tostrud of the U.S. District for Minnesota. Tostrud—a Trump appointee—will hold a more substantive hearing on the matter tomorrow.
This is an administration that knows something about trying to control the narrative. And so, DHS quickly put out a press release that pinned all the blame on Pretti:
At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here.
The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming.
Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.
About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.
This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.
If you really want to see the picture that is alluded to, you can click on the link.
It is true that Pretti owned a gun. It was registered, and he had a concealed carry permit. It appears to be true that it was on his person yesterday, although it also appears to have been taken from him before he was shot. There is certainly no moment where he brandished it, despite some Trump staffers' claims to the contrary. The rest of the statement is a combination of "facts" that appear to be lies (such as the "no ID" claim) and aggressive spin. For example, one might conclude that Pretti resisted a little (but he might also have just been flailing around because he had two facefuls of pepper spray). There is no way that he resisted "violently." To take another example, the claim the shots were defensive strains all credulity. In particular, were the five shots fired after Pretti was limp on the ground, and agents had backed at least 10 feet away, really defensive? Really?
When we wrote about the video of Good's shooting, we emphasized that we tried to view it with an open mind, and to allow for the (common) phenomenon that video evidence is often open to interpretation. It was a little harder to view this footage with an open mind, if only because the "agents out of control" story was all over the place before we could even see the footage. Still, we just cannot see how anyone could review this footage and say it was a "good shoot," to use police parlance. Lethal force is supposed to be a desperate, last-ditch option, and this incident very clearly had not reached "desperate, last-ditch option" status. Especially since, as with the Good killing, the agents kept pumping the victim full of lead even after they were no longer conscious.
Once we had watched the videos, and did our best to reach our own conclusions, we took a look for other video analyses. Here is a selection of quotes from various outlets:
We would propose that when Mother Jones and The Wall Street Journal are 100% in agreement on something, that is... instructive.
In addition, there have already been sworn affidavits, from witnesses, filed in federal court. The names are redacted, but the first is from a woman who recorded one of the videos of the confrontation, and who insists that Pretti did not do anything to provoke the agents' response: "I don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him." She also notes that she's now afraid to go home, because she has heard reports that ICE agents are looking for her. Her statement concludes:
I am disgusted and gutted at how they are treating my neighbors and my state. I keep alternating between crying and feeling determined—it is important to remember the value of documenting injustice. We show up for the people who need us to bear witness, because it can't just be one group of people bearing the brunt of their tyranny. This is a struggle to protect our freedom and democracy, those things are on the line. He lost his life for those values.
Powerful stuff.
The second statement is from a 29-year-old physician, the individual who was first blocked by ICE, but who was eventually allowed to begin CPR. He explains: "I was stunned. From what I could see from my apartment, there was absolutely no need for any violence, let alone lethal force by multiple officers. I immediately put on my boots and coat, ran outside, and approached ICE agents who were near the victim." And, like the first witness, he also cannot go home. In his case, it is because so much tear gas was deployed, it has left his apartment uninhabitable.
In short, the tale that the Trump administration is trying to spin is, to use the local slang, a giant pile of horse hockey. The White House appears to realize this, and so it pretty quickly pivoted to blaming the whole thing on the various sinister forces the administration just loves to point the finger at. Less than an hour after Pretti died, Stephen Miller was on eX-Twitter, declaring that the victim was an "assassin" who was trying to "murder" ICE officers, and that any Democrats who say otherwise are "sid[ing] with terrorists." Gee, Steve, you forgot to work "pedophiles" in there.
Miller's servant, "Attorney General" Pam Bondi, preferred to blame Gov. Tim Walz (DFL-MN) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (DFL), along with the rest of the political and law enforcement leadership in Minnesota. She sent a letter to Walz excoriating him and the rest of Minnesota for a whole bunch of things: fraud, drug trafficking, lawlessness, violence in the streets, and saying mean things about ICE among them. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also got on board that train, and said that Walz and Frey "choose violence."
Donald Trump, for his part, blamed the incident on, uh... well, see for yourself:
AMONG OTHER THINGS, THIS IS A "COVER UP" FOR THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT HAVE BEEN STOLEN FROM THE ONCE GREAT STATE (BUT SOON TO BE GREAT AGAIN!) OF MINNESOTA! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
Um, what? Even if you believe in the whole "Somali welfare fraud" story (and Trump does), how does yesterday's shooting constitute a cover-up? Does he imagine that Pretti agreed to sacrifice himself to prevent a few more headlines about a story that long ago faded from the front pages? A fade that took place, by the way, because those stories were replaced by stories about Trump's decision to impose de facto martial law on Minneapolis? None of this makes sense. Until we are given evidence to the contrary, we're just going to have to conclude that these are the muddled thoughts of an elderly man suffering significant cognitive decline. Or else from an incorrigible liar who will say anything to avoid taking any responsibility for events he set in motion.
We have seen virtually no response from the Republican members of Congress thus far. Undoubtedly, there's a little of that out there, but most members appear to be using this weekend's adjournment to fly under the radar for as long as they can. Questions will have to be answered tomorrow, but until then, they can do the head-in-the-sand routine.
There is one squabble that has broken out on the right, however, that may be of some interest. Bill Essayli is California's answer to Lindsey Halligan or Alina Habba; he's serving in a made-up job (First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California) because he couldn't get either the Senate or the judges of the Central District of California to sign off on him as the U.S. Attorney for that region. He got on eX-Twitter yesterday to share this insight:
If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.
Don't do it!
By the time Essayli deigned to issue forth with his keen legal analysis, it was already well known that Pretti had not drawn or brandished his gun. So, the pseudo-prosecutor was trying to propose that the victim was guilty by virtue of simply having a gun. As you might guess, the NRA and other gun lobbying groups did not take kindly to the suggestion that merely carrying a gun is probable cause for the police to shoot someone. And so, the gun lobbyists blew a gasket. One wonders if Essayli will still have his sorta-job by the start of business tomorrow.
Now, let us move on to the grassroots response. On Friday, Minnesotans staged a massive general strike, something that has no real parallel in recent memory. Despite the bitterly cold temperatures, at least 50,000 people marched the streets of Minneapolis. Just like the days of the Civil Rights Movement, faith leaders were substantially in command, and over 100 of them were arrested. In addition to all of those folks, there were hundreds of businesses that shut down, and an unknown, but substantial, number of employees who ceased working. Also playing a big role in the event were labor unions, with workers carrying signs identifying which Local they are a part of. It is worth noting, perhaps, that social justice advocates + faith leaders + urban dwellers + labor is a pretty good description of the JFK-LBJ coalition. If the universe were to return to that configuration, the leaders of the Democratic Party would be happy folks, indeed.
After Pretti was gunned down yesterday, there was another large (and spontaneous) protest in Minneapolis. There will be yet another today, with folks meeting at Government Plaza at 300 S 6th. St. at 1 p.m. local time. Additional protests, very sizable for actions that were not planned in advance, took place yesterday in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and Providence, among others. The people, in short, are not happy. At least, a sizable chunk of the people.
When we started this series, we took the position that this was very possibly the start of something that would have a profound impact on this year's elections. Needless to say, nothing that has happened since has caused us to revisit that position. Donald Trump and his administration appear to be all-in and, unlike Greenland, there isn't going to be massive international diplomatic pressure, nor economic upheaval, to compel him to chicken out. The only way this could plausibly end soon is if a judge orders it to end, and the White House obeys the order. That lawsuit is already in the hopper, and has been moved up the priority list, so there could be a ruling as soon as this week. Politically, we think the smart thing for the administration to do would be to say, "Shucks, we want to stay, but the big, bad judge won't let us!" We would guess that what the administration will actually do, if it loses in court, is to either appeal or just invade some other city.
Meanwhile, remember the comment from the witness who gave the first sworn statement: "I keep alternating between crying and feeling determined." We are not in Minneapolis, but we have great confidence that hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans would agree with that sentiment. And it is clear that these folks are NOT backing down, and that "feeling determined" keeps winning out. Let us turn briefly to JVL again:
[B]e grateful to the people of Minneapolis. Bearing witness today in America requires physical courage. Every single person who steps out their front door in Minneapolis to observe, document, and protest the actions of our government is taking their lives in their hands.
These men and women are the kind of patriots you would have seen at Lexington and Concord. I am in awe of their valor. They started this resistance to protect their neighbors, but what is happening in Minneapolis now is bigger than that. They are standing against the might of the Trump regime not just for themselves, but for all of us.
Keep in mind that a big part of the reason that ICE has yet another massive scandal on its hands is that its agents can't go anywhere in Minneapolis these days without being confronted by a gaggle of observers and cameras. This will serve to memorialize and amplify any and all bad behavior.
We've written, in the headline of every piece in this series, that this is a fight that the Trump administration wants to have. And what we're trying to say, at this moment, is that while the people of Minnesota surely did not want to have this fight, at this place, at this time, they've got it now, and they're not shrinking from it. The various other cities that have been targeted (Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago, etc.) have responded in the same way, and the next city after Minneapolis (well, actually, the next city after Portland and Lewiston in Maine) will presumably do the same.
We don't know exactly how it will all end, though we still have at least four more parts in this series, in which we will lay out our case that this is likely a game-changer. There is one, shorter-term-but-still-potentially-big impact that is already apparent, though. On Friday, the House passed the annual funding bill for DHS, which includes funding for ICE. Seven Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with all but two of the Republicans. Those seven were the usual Blue-Dog suspects (e.g., Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Henry Cuellar of Texas, etc.), but it still infuriated many Democratic voters.
What a difference (a little more than) a day makes. With the death of Pretti, Democratic voters and Democratic officeholders are spitting mad. The DHS bill needs at least seven votes in the Senate from the blue team, and it looks like those votes won't be forthcoming unless the legislation is amended to significantly rein in ICE.
Since Congressional Republicans aren't talking this weekend, it's hard to tell how they might deal with this. On one hand, defying Donald Trump is not good for one's political career if one is a member of the GOP. On the other hand, taking any ownership of this mess in Minneapolis could be even more damaging. That's particularly true for members who represent swing districts with significant immigrant/minority populations.
For the Democrats, by contrast, it should be a pretty easy call at this point. If they dig in, they please the base, they take the currently much more popular side of the ICE issue, and they force the Republicans to defend the much less popular side of the ICE issue. Historically, pushing back on ICE opened up Democrats to charges of being soft on immigration. But at the moment, it's very plausible to say, "I support enforcing the laws on immigration, but I can't sit by while the Trump administration deploys thugs on the streets of America's cities, so they can gun down U.S. citizens."
Prior to this, Congress had been on course to get a budget done before February rolls around, which is very fast by modern standards. Now, maybe the Democrats get what they want on ICE. Or maybe it's another long, drawn-out fight over the DHS bill. Or maybe it drags down the entire budget process, and there's another shutdown. All possibilities are on the table, at the moment.
To wrap this up, we thought we'd let a few readers also bear witness to this weekend's tragedy:
Anonymous in Minnesota, writes: RIP Nurse Pretti:
C.M. in Minneapolis, MN, writes: Another sad day here in Minneapolis after the senseless killing of Alex Pretti. From the various videos, it appears he was essentially executed on what we call "Eat Street" here due to all the wonderful ethnic restaurants along Nicollet Ave.
The narrative that DHS is putting out there, that he threatened the ICE agents or intended to kill them, is absurd beyond belief, particularly after watching the videos. It also makes you wonder what all the Second Amendment rights folks think about it, as by all accounts Pretti was exercising his Second and First amendment rights well within the law. Plus, it appears he was simply trying to help other protesters and not engage any ICE agents.
It really is hard to know where things go from here. As you have been writing the past few weeks, since Renee Good was killed, it does seem like this is a hill the administration wants to die on for some reason. There were reports that Trump was maybe starting to realize the over-the-top ICE deployment in Minnesota has gotten out of hand and they were losing the messaging on immigration. After today it is safe to say they have completely lost the messaging on this. His initial response on Saturday, however, sounded like he was doubling down on stupid, and that much of this still has to do with his hatred of Rep. Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN) and the Somalian population here. The best case is that cooler heads within the GOP can convince the administration to get ICE the F out of Minnesota. Otherwise it could get even uglier, I am afraid.
J.W. whose body is Indianapolis, IN, and whose mind is in Minneapolis, MN, writes: After watching all of the videos of the public execution of Alex Pretti that I can find, I wonder if maybe your series on the situation there should be called "Minneapolis Is Apparently the Hill that The White House Wants to Kill Everybody On." 'Execution' is the right word for this, too; murder doesn't begin to cover it. You've already written about the contrast in how the administration treated the 1/6 coup to the protests in Minnesota, but think also about the difference in Pretti's behavior (putting himself between an ICE agent and the woman the agent was assaulting, while having a handgun and a couple dozen bullets) to the behavior of Kyle Rittenhouse (point an AR-15 at protesters and then claim self-defense after murdering the people who tried to protect themselves from him). And then ICE actively prevented real law enforcement from examining the scene? Just like they actively prevented Renee Good from receiving medical care?
In my mind we've crossed a line where "Abolish ICE" is entirely inadequate, and now it's time for "Prosecute ICE."
N.R. in Cambridge, England, UK, writes: With regards to ICE, their agents must not be allowed to carry firearms.
Too many horrific examples have demonstrated that even their senior personnel cannot be trusted due to their aggressive attitude and frank incompetence in dealing with tense situations with protesters.
The unarmed ICE agents will have to do their jobs in conjunction with local law enforcement (who can be armed). This may restore trust in their actions.
In the U.K., police are typically not armed. Guns are reserved to specialized and highly trained uniform officers.
R.V. in Pittsburgh, PA, writes: It didn't even get to February and there has been a 2nd Minnesota MURDER that was truly far worse than the first one.
By the time early voting begins on or around September 2026 for the midterm elections (if we still have a country by then), and nothing changes with ICE, they'll be at polling places pulling people out of voting lines and executing them.
ICE is not a legit agency, they are this country's version of the Gestapo.
J.C. in Arlington, VA, writes: The horrible killing of Alex Pretti brings to mind something I observed when dating two different men.
One was raised in the suburbs, no fighting allowed, only playdates, no roaming around the neighborhood, etc. The other was raised in a very gritty blue-collar town where there was a lot of fighting in the streets, every day, with kids of different ethnicities. Not just Black vs. white, though that did exist, but also various other ethnic groups fighting each other. He learned the hard way to defend himself while walking home, starting at the age of six.
Went with boyfriend one to a rock concert that took place in a college gym. I'm a very small woman and we were in the bleachers and some energetic attendees knocked me off; I almost fell through the seats to the floor below. Boyfriend one reacted as if it was World War III—very aggressive, ready to fight everyone. He panicked.
Went with boyfriend two to a football game where we were rooting for the "wrong" team and the blue-collar guys in the stands were passing flasks (before the days of screening at the entrances) and were very displeased at some people in our party who were enjoying seeing our team winning. They started pushing us, and again I was in danger of falling. Boyfriend two stood up, put on his Jack Smith face, and said that we were leaving. We were allowed to leave without a problem. He was used to fighting and they could tell.
Of course, I married boyfriend two. We had sons. We made them take a martial arts course in school so that they would know how to handle both pain and anger when encountering others. It has served them well.
The ICE guys look like they bathed in video games instead of getting out there and learning any sort of martial arts. They look scared, because they are.
J.T. in San Bernardino, CA, writes: I've tried to resist alarmism for a long time, but with another killing in Minneapolis by a federal agency that is anonymous, accountable to no one, with an ambiguous but apparently expansive de facto jurisdiction, I'm finding it harder and harder to believe that we're going to be able to have free elections in this country much longer.
DHS is already spinning a tale about the most recent victim and the usual suspects are eating it up.
I understand that, as you've said, ICE is a relatively small force, but I don't know why so many people are confident that the same ideology that's driving ICE isn't present in some form in other armed agencies of the state.
The damage this administration has managed to do in just 12 months is staggering. They have 10 more months to continue to do damage before we hold meaningful elections again. The idea that somehow the midterms are going to save us seems pollyanna. Watching the videos out of Minneapolis this morning gives me the dread feeling that 2024 was it, we've already lost and we're just in the mop up phase.
D.S. in Havertown, PA, writes: While I currently live in PA, I am originally from Minnesota. I can't express with words (pixels?) how proud I am of the citizens in my home state. Ancestors of Vikings are badasses in winter and ICE is experiencing that now. I don't know if this will help. What I do know is that applying points of pressure wherever we can does help move the needle. I wanted to pass this site along to you and the readers of this site; they have pre-printed postcards you can send to your elected leaders. You want to do something, anything? This is something...
Another Minneapolis piece coming Tuesday, unless circumstances demand one tomorrow, as well. (Z)