Minneapolis erupted in protests over the weekend after federal immigration agents shot and killed 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti during a targeted operation on Saturday. Demonstrations spread to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, with protesters calling for justice and demanding the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the shooting a national crisis and repeated his demand that President Donald Trump remove federal immigration agents from the city.
“We are at an inflection point in this country,” Walz said, urging federal authorities to step back while local investigations proceed.
In contrast, Trump has pushed for the immediate deportation of all undocumented immigrants held in state prisons and signalled in a Wall Street Journal interview that ICE might eventually withdraw from Minneapolis, though no timeline was provided.
“At some point we will leave. They’ve done a phenomenal job,” the president said, adding that his administration is reviewing the circumstances surrounding Pretti’s death.
The circumstances of the shooting remain highly contested. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said agents opened fire in self-defence after Pretti allegedly resisted disarmament while carrying a handgun. Local authorities, eyewitnesses, and Pretti’s family dispute that account, saying he had a phone in his hand rather than a weapon.
“This is horrifying,” said Brian O’Hara, Minneapolis Police Chief. He told the BBC that local officers, despite having a search warrant, were blocked by federal agents from accessing the scene. O’Hara added that the standoff is complicating ongoing cooperation between local and federal law enforcement in Minnesota.
Pretti’s family condemned the administration’s characterisation of him as a “domestic terrorist,” pointing out that he had no criminal record beyond minor traffic violations. “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man,” the family said in a statement.
The incident has drawn bipartisan attention. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt voiced concern about federal tactics, telling CNN that “people are watching fellow Americans being shot on television.”
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy called the shooting “incredibly disturbing” and warned that ICE’s credibility is at stake. Meanwhile, Democrats threatened to block government funding if it includes DHS appropriations, raising the spectre of a government shutdown.
Protests in Minneapolis were met with teargas and stun grenades by federal agents. Demonstrators braved freezing conditions, holding signs demanding “Justice for Alex” and calling for ICE to be abolished. Over 60 Minnesota-based businesses, including 3M, Best Buy, Target, and UnitedHealth Group, signed an open letter urging “an immediate de-escalation of tensions” and cooperation between federal and local authorities.
The National Rifle Association also called for a thorough investigation into the shooting.
“Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalisations and demonising law-abiding citizens,” the NRA said in a statement.
Federal authorities say the operation targeted Jose Huerta Chuma, whose criminal history reportedly includes domestic assault. Minnesota’s Department of Corrections refuted those claims, noting Huerta had never been in state custody and that his record includes only minor traffic violations from over a decade ago.
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