Minneapolis rattled by second fatal shooting as ICE crackdown fuels unrest

Minneapolis is bracing under a wave of political turmoil and public outrage after federal immigration agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, marking the second killing of a U.S. citizen by federal forces in the city this month. 

The Department of Homeland Security says a U.S. immigration agent fired in self-defence after Pretti, 37, allegedly approached agents with a handgun and resisted being disarmed during a federal operation. Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veteran Affairs Medical Center, had cared for patients throughout the pandemic.

Earlier in January, Renée Good, also 37 and a mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent during a separate enforcement action near downtown Minneapolis. Both incidents occurred within a roughly two-mile radius and have drawn national attention to the aggressive immigration enforcement operation known as Operation Metro Surge. 

Videos circulated by bystanders and verified by major outlets show Pretti holding only a phone moments before he was pinned, pepper-sprayed and shot while on the ground, contradicting key elements of the federal narrative. 

The footage has amplified demands for accountability and fueled distrust of official statements.

The twin shootings have become flashpoints in an already volatile political climate. Large crowds have taken to the streets in Minneapolis and in cities across the United States, vocally challenging the presence and tactics of ICE and Border Patrol agents as part of a wider wave of protests following both deaths.

“How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or be badly hurt for this operation to end?” said Jacob Frey, Minneapolis’s mayor, at a news event hours after the shooting. “How many more lives need to be lost before this administration realises that a political narrative is not more important than American values?”

A city on-edge

The shooting came amid rising tension between residents and federal immigration agents operating across Minneapolis. Since the killing of Renée Good earlier this month, community groups and local officials say encounters between ICE agents and civilians have become more frequent and more confrontational, particularly in neighbourhoods affected by enforcement activity.

In the past two weeks, authorities have confirmed at least one additional non fatal shooting linked to federal operations, along with several disputed arrests now under legal review. 

Civil rights organisations say the cumulative effect has been to heighten fear and uncertainty, with residents unsure where federal authority begins and ends. Similar concerns have surfaced as immigration enforcement actions expand to other states.

ICE has said its operations are lawful and necessary to enforce federal immigration law. Critics argue that the scale and intensity of the current surge, coupled with limited coordination with local authorities, have increased the risk of violent outcomes. 

National guard deployed as political stakes rise

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who ran as Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential candidate in 2024, has deployed the Minnesota National Guard to support local law enforcement and protect public infrastructure. His office said the move was intended to prevent further escalation rather than suppress peaceful protest.

While demonstrations have largely remained peaceful, officials say tensions remain high and unpredictable.

In Washington, the shootings have sharpened political divisions. Democratic lawmakers are calling for tighter oversight of ICE operations and warning that the issue could spill into upcoming budget negotiations. The White House has accused local leaders of fuelling unrest and undermining federal law enforcement efforts.

Former U.S. president Barack Obama has publicly condemned the killing of Alex Pretti by a U.S. ICE agent. In a statement, he said: “It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.”