Trump officials in hot water after ICE killing of second US citizen in Minneapolis

Over the weekend, new videos circulated of yet another killing of a US citizen in Minneapolis by ICE agents. Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse for Veterans’ Affairs, was filming ICE agents on a Minneapolis street. Then six agents charged Pretti and a woman who was with him, shoved the woman to the ground and then tackled Pretti and pinned him to the ground. At the time, Pretti was carrying a holstered pistol, which videos show he did not brandish or reach for. The only item ever visible in Pretti’s hand was his phone. As the six officers struggled to pin Pretti to the ground, one of the officers is seen in bystander video discharging his weapon into Pretti several times, killing him. According to a report from the Department of Homeland Security, two agents actually fired their weapons in that confrontation.

Video evidence and witness statements have contradicted the characterization of those events by Trump officials. On the day of Pretti’s killing, White House adviser Stephen Miller went so far as to call Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and “would-be assassin” of ICE agents. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Customs and Border Protection Commander-at-large Gregory Bovino made similar statements. The following day, Trump seemed to wave away these descriptions of Pretti, but went on to say that Pretti shouldn’t have been carrying a gun, which angered gun rights advocates, a key Republican constituency.

Trump pumps brakes

After considerable backlash from the public, Minnesota officials, law enforcement experts, and even Republican politicians, the White House has been attempting to strike a more conciliatory tone. One of the administration’s first moves was the removal of CBP’s Gregory Bovino from Minneapolis, sending Border czar Tom Homan in his place. Bovino has become the face of Trump’s multi-city crackdown and earned a reputation as one of Trump’s most brash gung-ho enforcers. However, Trump called Bovino “a pretty out-there guy” and acknowledged that maybe that “wasn’t good here”.

After talks with Minnesota officials, Trump appears to be weighing a less aggressive approach to immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. However, ICE’s presence and activity in Minneapolis’s neighborhoods remains unchanged, according to activist groups monitoring ICE in the area.

Republican Senators call on DHS Secretary Noem to step down after Pretti shooting.

Minnesota Republican drops out of governor’s race, citing ICE’s crackdown in the state.

Government could be headed for partial shutdown this weekend after Democrats reject ICE funding provisions in spending bill.