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Tag: Minnesota

  • Judge set to hear arguments on Minnesota’s immigration crackdown after fatal shootings

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    A federal judge will hear arguments Monday on whether she should at least temporarily halt the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has led to the fatal shootings of two people by government officers.The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Renee Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs officer. Saturday’s shooting by a Border Patrol officer of Alex Pretti has only added urgency to the case.Since the original filing, the state and cities have substantially added to their original request. They’re trying to restore the state of affairs that existed before the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge on Dec. 1.The hearing is set for Monday morning in federal court in Minneapolis. Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he plans to personally attend.They’re asking that U.S. District Judge Kathleen Menendez order federal law enforcement agencies to reduce the numbers of officers and agents in Minnesota to levels before the surge, while allowing them to continue to enforce immigration laws within a long list of proposed limits.Justice Department attorneys have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous” and said “Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement.” They asked the judge to reject the request or at least stay her order pending an anticipated appeal.Ellison said at a news conference Sunday that he and the cities filed their lawsuit because of “the unprecedented nature of this surge. It is a novel abuse of the Constitution that we’re looking at right now. No one can remember a time when we’ve seen something like this.”It wasn’t clear ahead of the hearing when the judge might rule.The case also has implications for other states that have been or could be targets of intensive federal immigration enforcement operations. Attorneys general from 19 states plus the District of Columbia, led by California, filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Minnesota.”If left unchecked, the federal government will no doubt be emboldened to continue its unlawful conduct in Minnesota and to repeat it elsewhere,” the attorneys general wrote.Menendez is the same judge who ruled in a separate case on Jan. 16 that federal officers in Minnesota can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities, including people who are following and observing agents.An appeals court temporarily suspended that ruling three days before Saturday’s shooting. But the plaintiffs in that case, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, asked the appeals court late Saturday for an emergency order lifting the stay in light of Pretti’s killing. The Justice Department argued in a reply filed Sunday that the stay should remain in place, calling the injunction unworkable and overly broad.In yet another case, a different federal judge, Eric Tostrud, late Saturday issued an order blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to Saturday’s shooting. Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty asked for the order to try to preserve evidence collected by federal officials that state authorities have not yet been able to inspect. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Monday afternoon in federal court in St. Paul.“The fact that anyone would ever think that an agent of the federal government might even think about doing such a thing was completely unforeseeable only a few weeks ago,” Ellison told reporters. “But now, this is what we have to do.”

    MINNEAPOLIS —

    A federal judge will hear arguments Monday on whether she should at least temporarily halt the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has led to the fatal shootings of two people by government officers.

    The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Renee Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs officer. Saturday’s shooting by a Border Patrol officer of Alex Pretti has only added urgency to the case.

    Since the original filing, the state and cities have substantially added to their original request. They’re trying to restore the state of affairs that existed before the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge on Dec. 1.

    The hearing is set for Monday morning in federal court in Minneapolis. Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he plans to personally attend.

    They’re asking that U.S. District Judge Kathleen Menendez order federal law enforcement agencies to reduce the numbers of officers and agents in Minnesota to levels before the surge, while allowing them to continue to enforce immigration laws within a long list of proposed limits.

    Justice Department attorneys have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous” and said “Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement.” They asked the judge to reject the request or at least stay her order pending an anticipated appeal.

    Ellison said at a news conference Sunday that he and the cities filed their lawsuit because of “the unprecedented nature of this surge. It is a novel abuse of the Constitution that we’re looking at right now. No one can remember a time when we’ve seen something like this.”

    It wasn’t clear ahead of the hearing when the judge might rule.

    The case also has implications for other states that have been or could be targets of intensive federal immigration enforcement operations. Attorneys general from 19 states plus the District of Columbia, led by California, filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Minnesota.

    “If left unchecked, the federal government will no doubt be emboldened to continue its unlawful conduct in Minnesota and to repeat it elsewhere,” the attorneys general wrote.

    Menendez is the same judge who ruled in a separate case on Jan. 16 that federal officers in Minnesota can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities, including people who are following and observing agents.

    An appeals court temporarily suspended that ruling three days before Saturday’s shooting. But the plaintiffs in that case, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, asked the appeals court late Saturday for an emergency order lifting the stay in light of Pretti’s killing. The Justice Department argued in a reply filed Sunday that the stay should remain in place, calling the injunction unworkable and overly broad.

    In yet another case, a different federal judge, Eric Tostrud, late Saturday issued an order blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to Saturday’s shooting. Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty asked for the order to try to preserve evidence collected by federal officials that state authorities have not yet been able to inspect. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Monday afternoon in federal court in St. Paul.

    “The fact that anyone would ever think that an agent of the federal government might even think about doing such a thing was completely unforeseeable only a few weeks ago,” Ellison told reporters. “But now, this is what we have to do.”

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  • Trump defends ICE after Minneapolis shooting

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    President Trump addressed Border Patrol’s killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, writing, “Let our ICE patriots do their job.” He also accused the mayor of Minneapolis and governor of Minnesota of “inciting insurrection.” Willie James Inman reports.

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  • Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield help Frost beat Sirens 6-2

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    Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield scored first-period goals just 12 seconds apart to help the Minnesota Frost beat the New York Sirens 6-2 on Sunday.

    Katy Knoll added two goals, which included an empty-netter, for Minnesota (6-2-3-3). Grace Zumwinkle and Kelly Pannek each scored a goal and Abby Hustler had two assists. Maddie Rooney had 25 saves.

    Kristyna Kaltounkova scored her ninth goal of the season for New York (7-0-2-6) and Anna Bargman scored her second goal this season with six minutes to play.

    Heise cut in front of the net, took a pass from Mae Batherson, and flicked a back-hand shot into the net to open the scoring 6:12 into the game. Shortly after the ensuing faceoff, a Frost turnover near the center line led to a jailbreak goal by Coyne Schofield that made it 2-0.

    Coyne Schofield leads the PWHL in goals (10) and points (16).

    Kaltounkova scored with 1:32 left in the first period to cut the deficit to 2-1.

    Kayle Osborne stopped 21 shots for the Sirens.

    Fans at the Grand Casino Arena chanted “ICE out now!” and there was a moment of silence for Alex Pretti — the second Minneapolis resident killed by federal officers this month — prior to the start of the game.

    Up next

    New York: The Sirens visit Boston on Wednesday.

    Minnesota: The Frost host Vancouver on Wednesday.

    In:

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  • The Battle for Minneapolis

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    “Is that the one we were following before?” Sam asked.

    “No, that was an Expedition. This is a Suburban,” John, who was driving, replied. He took out a pair of binoculars and looked at the license plate, which was out of state.

    “Oh, yeah, this is the intimidator guy,” he said, without elaboration.

    A license-plate check with other observers in their chat confirmed that the car was a known ICE vehicle. Maintaining about a block of distance between them, John and Sam began following the S.U.V. (The A.C.L.U. has said that following law enforcement vehicles at a safe distance is legal as long as active operations aren’t obstructed and traffic laws are obeyed.) The Suburban’s driver soon became cognizant that he was being followed, and a game of cat and mouse began. At one point, the S.U.V. made a U-turn and drove past us. The driver, who wore glasses and no mask, gave a little wave.

    “That was the first unmasked one I’ve seen,” John said.

    Later, after temporarily parting ways with the S.U.V., the observers met it at a right angle at an intersection. John reversed, backing up and then stopping along the side of the street to avoid the impression that he was seeking an active confrontation. The S.U.V. turned into the oncoming traffic lane so that it now directly blocked us. For a minute, nothing happened. Then the S.U.V. pulled up alongside us, and its passengers rolled down their windows. This time they wore face coverings. In the back seat, one of the men held his phone camera out. (ICE uses facial-recognition technology to identify people.) The driver of the S.U.V. made a pointing gesture at John, then drove on.

    “It probably already was, but now your car is, like, completely made,” Sam said.

    “I’ve had them film it so many times,” John said.

    They decided not to continue following the S.U.V.

    The volunteer observation system has the flaws common to any vigilante system. Observers can get overzealous, and have misidentified ordinary people as federal agents. But John and Sam clearly felt that, without their observation, nobody would be holding ICE accountable. Local law-enforcement agencies, for the most part, have not intervened in ICE actions.

    “We have a paramilitary force in our city acting beyond the Constitution consistently,” Sam said. “Clearly, they are just racially profiling people straight up, right? Complete violations of the Fourth Amendment, everywhere.”

    “I just worry, like, what does it get us? I agree with you, but how do you enforce the Constitution?” John said.

    They sat for a minute.

    “You drive around,” John said.

    “You drive around the neighborhood with a friend and make the best decisions you can,” Sam agreed.

    Some restaurants in Minneapolis now keep their doors locked. The owners of a small neighborhood restaurant in South Minneapolis, a married couple who asked to stay anonymous because they feared retribution from the government, told me that they have started driving their nonwhite employees to and from work to try to protect them. (They submitted the necessary I-9 forms to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for all of their employees on hiring, they said, although the wife added, “We’re not document experts.”) When I met the couple at their restaurant one morning before lunch service, they both started to cry. The husband, who is a person of color, described how he now carries his passport card with him at all times, as does their son; the wife, who is white, feels less threatened. They listed several restaurants in the area that have made the decision to close, either to protect their staff or because their workers were too afraid to come in.

    “It feels like there’s a really broad swath of people that they are going after that has less to do with their, like, actual status and more to do with just vibes—you know, do you have an accent? What color is your skin? Are you going to culturally relevant grocery stores or restaurants or churches?” Athena Hollins, a state representative from a district in St. Paul, told me. “That’s reflected across the Twin Cities, because we’ve had so many people who have been detained who are U.S. citizens.”

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    Emily Witt

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  • Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz tells Trump:

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    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke to the press Sunday afternoon, one day after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents in south Minneapolis — the third shooting this month amid Operation Metro Surge, and the second fatality carried out by federal immigration enforcement forces.

    “What’s the plan, Donald Trump? What is the plan?” Walz said. “What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state? If fear, violence and chaos is what you wanted from us, then you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation. We are tired, but we’re resolved. We’re peaceful, but we’ll never forget. We’re angry, but we won’t give up hope. And above all else, we are clearly unified.”

    Walz said if President Trump’s intention was to “make an example of Minnesota,” it backfired.

    “We believe in law and order in this state. We believe in peace, and we believe that Donald Trump needs to pull these 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another person, and we’re up here telling another story of a Minnesotan just trying to live their life without the interference,” Walz said. “To Americans who are watching this right now, and I don’t know, maybe you’re watching it with curiosity, bewilderment, horror, scorn or sympathy. I’ve got a question for all of you. What side do you wanna be on?”

    Full transcripts of Gov. Walz’s opening and closing statements

    Opening statement

    I had the privilege of talking with Michael and Susan, Alex’s parents, yesterday and the heartache in the hours after your son’s murdered in front of the world is one thing, but what stood out to me was a parent’s desire and their passion to make sure that the story of Alex was told.

    Someone who went to work to care for veterans, someone who was a valued co-worker, someone who relished and lived in this state in a big way whether it was outdoor activities or being down there on the street as a First Amendment witness to what ICE is doing to this, to this state.

    So, once again to Michael and Susan, when I talk to these parents, it’s always in deep confidential conversation. In this one, though, Michael was very clear to me. He said, “Don’t let them forget Alex’s story.”

    The world knows how he died. He died at the hands of ICE agents on the streets of Minneapolis. They want us to make sure we said how he lived. So to Michael and Susan, our deepest sympathies, but you have my commitment to continue to tell that story.

    So now we’ve got two Minnesotans dead, we didn’t have time to start telling [Renee Good‘s] story of a poet and a mother and a bright spirit, and now we’re telling Alex’s story.

    So my question is, what’s the plan, Donald Trump? What is the plan? What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state? If fear, violence and chaos is what you wanted from us, then you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation.

    We are tired, but we’re resolved. We’re peaceful, but we’ll never forget. We’re angry, but we won’t give up hope. And above all else, we are clearly unified. If it was the intention of Donald Trump to make an example of Minnesota, then I’m damn proud of the example that the world’s seeing.

    We believe in law and order in this state. We believe in peace, and we believe that Donald Trump needs to pull these 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another person, and we’re up here telling another story of a Minnesotan just trying to live their life without the interference.

    To Americans who are watching this right now, and I don’t know, maybe you’re watching it with curiosity, bewilderment, horror, scorn or sympathy. I’ve got a question for all of you: What side do you wanna be on?

    The side of an all powerful federal government that can kill, injure, menace and kidnap its citizens off the streets? On the side of a nurse at the VA hospital who died bearing witness to such a government? Or the side of a mother whose last words were, “I’m not mad at you”?

    The sight of tens of thousands of peaceful citizens who showed up to march when the wind chill was 40 below because they love this state and they love this country.

    You’re allowed to decide at any point that you’re not with us anymore. If you voted for this administration, heck, even if you thought Operation Metro Surge was a good idea, sounded like the thing to do a month ago, you’re still allowed to look at what’s happening here in Minnesota and say, “This isn’t what I voted for and this isn’t what I want.”

    I ask you not to stand by idly. Speak out, share what you’re seeing to others and urge others to put politics aside. We’re no longer having a political debate. We’re having a moral debate.

    We all want secure borders and immigration enforcement that prioritizes criminals, and I want to thank the press, especially the local press, who has done a deep dive to show that’s exactly what Minnesota does.

    But what you’re seeing is not common sense, lawful or humane enforcement. That’s not what this occupation is about.

    Let me say our conversation should not be about, and I know we get asked of what we’re doing out there, how many state patrol or police or national guard I can put on the street. This isn’t about how many people I can put on the street, it’s about how many of these people, these ICE agents and whoever else was thrown into this unholy mess, how many Donald Trump can get out of here?

    Minnesotans, you’ve won the hearts and minds of people across this country, and you’ve done it through your peaceful, resolved defense of your neighbors and the Constitution. 

    So once again Minnesotans, stay peaceful, stay safe. Change is coming and we can feel it. But this fight still goes on.

    Closing statement

    I’m going to close with one thing that I promised the parents, with Michael and Susan, and I speak to all Americans on this over these last 24 hours, what you saw, you’re now knowing more about this young man, beloved by his family, accomplished ICU nurse, skillful ability to work with veterans, someone who is beloved by community, no criminal record, lawful firearms owner.

    And you know what you saw, and then you heard the most powerful people in the world, certainly in this country — the president, vice president, Greg Bovino, Kristi Noem — narrate to you what you were looking at that this was a domestic terrorist, crazed, running at law enforcement with the intent to kill massive numbers of them, sullying his name within minutes of this event happening. And then closing the crime scene, sweeping away the evidence, defying a court order and not allowing anyone to look at it.

    I don’t care if you are conservative and you are flying a Donald Trump flag, you’re a libertarian, don’t tread on me, you’re a Democratic Socialist of America. This is an inflection point, America. If we cannot all agree that the smearing of an American citizen and besmirching everything they stood for and asking us not to believe what we saw, I don’t know what else to tell you.

    This has to be the moment.

    Your government here in Minnesota, I’ve made it clear I’m accountable for things that happen here, and I will take responsibility for that. Someone has to be accountable. Someone has to hold the final decision on this. And sitting behind a keyboard at 2 a.m. and besmirching a VA nurse and a son and a co-worker and a friend is despicable beyond all description.

    This is not “we need to see both sides.” This is not “we need to wait for this.” This is basic human decency. And at this point in time, I’m just asking try, for a moment, to set aside the political side of it and go back and ground in the humanity of this. This family has gone through enough, and to have the most powerful man in the world drag their dead son with absolutely no evidence and gaslight the entire country? This is enough.

    And I would say, President Trump, you can end this today. Pull these folks back. Do humane, focused, effective immigration control. You’ve got the support of all of us to do that, let our law enforcement continue to do what they do, making Minnesota one of the safest states in the country, one of the best places to live. Allow our children to go back to school. We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside.

    Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank. Somebody is going to write that children’s story about Minnesota. And there’s one person who can end this now.

    And I’ll go back to it again. Please show some decency, pull these folks out, reset this situation and allow us to do the job that the attorney general and myself were elected to do: protect the people of Minnesota and carry out the laws of Minnesota.

    In:

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  • Federal officials double down on Border Patrol actions in deadly Minneapolis shooting

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    Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino continued to defend the actions of federal agents during a news conference on Sunday in the deadly shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in south Minneapolis on Saturday. CBS News’ Lilia Luciano and Nicole Sganga have more.

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  • Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says

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    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says “this is an inflection point” after fatal shooting of Alex Pretti – CBS News









































    Watch CBS News



    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and the state’s Attorney General Keith Ellison gave an update on Sunday in the aftermath of Border Patrol’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.

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  • Explainer-Can ICE Agents Be Prosecuted for Minneapolis Shootings?

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    By Jack Queen, Jan Wolfe and Blake Brittain

    Jan 25 (Reuters) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ‌agents ​shot and killed two U.S. citizens in separate enforcement ‌actions in Minneapolis this month as part of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown.

    Local officials have disputed administration officials’ claims ​that the shootings were acts of self-defense, citing bystander video that appears to contradict the government’s accounts.

    Here is a look at the potential legal repercussions for the officers.

    An ICE ‍officer shot 37-year-old Renee Good in her car ​on January 7. The Department of Homeland Security said the officer had fired “defensive shots” after Good attempted to run him over, though online videos of the shooting verified by ​Reuters cast doubt on ⁠the government’s narrative.

    ICE agents shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti in a separate incident on January 24. DHS said Pretti approached with a handgun and violently resisted attempts to disarm him, though bystander videos verified by Reuters show Pretti – whom Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said carried a handgun lawfully – holding a phone as he tries to help protesters whom agents pushed to the ground.

    Minnesota’s use-of-force law permits state police to use deadly force only if reasonable officers would believe ‌doing so was necessary to protect themselves, or others, from death or serious harm.

    Federal law has a similar standard, permitting use of deadly force when ​a ‌reasonable officer would have probable cause ‍to believe a person posed an ⁠immediate threat of death or serious injury.

    COULD THE OFFICERS BE PROSECUTED?

    Federal agents are generally immune from state prosecution for actions taken as part of their official duties. Immunity only applies when an officer’s actions were authorized under federal law and were necessary and proper.

    If Minnesota charged the agents, they could seek to move the case to federal court and argue they are immune from prosecution. To prevail, the state would have to show their actions were outside of their official duties or were objectively unreasonable or clearly unlawful. If a judge ruled an officer was immune, the case would be dismissed and the state would not be able to charge him again.

    COULD FEDERAL PROSECUTORS CHARGE THE OFFICERS?

    Federal prosecutors can charge law ​enforcement officers for fatal shootings, but the bar is very high and charges are rare. Prosecutors would need to show an officer knew his conduct was unlawful or acted with reckless disregard for the constitutional limits of his authority, which is difficult to prove in court. The Trump administration has so far defended the officers’ actions.

    WHAT DEFENSES WOULD THE ICE AGENTS HAVE?

    In addition to federal immunity, the agents could argue that their actions were reasonable under the Constitution, that they acted in self-defense or that they did not act with intent to harm or kill the victims.

    COULD THE VICTIMS’ FAMILIES SUE FOR CIVIL DAMAGES?

    Federal officers are immune from civil lawsuits unless their conduct clearly violated a clearly established constitutional right. This legal standard, known as qualified immunity, has become a highly effective tool for shielding police officers accused of using excessive force, a series of Reuters investigative stories found in 2020.

    However, victims can also sue the federal government for compensation when its employees cause financial or bodily injury in the course of ​their work. This is covered by the Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946, an exception to a legal doctrine called sovereign immunity that usually shields the federal government from lawsuits.

    In an FTCA case, a plaintiff typically alleges a government employee acted negligently or wrongfully. The statute would allow family members of someone killed by ICE to seek compensation for wrongful death.

    But while the FTCA opens a rare avenue for a lawsuit against the federal ​government, these claims face limits and obstacles, and legal experts generally consider the law a weak mechanism for addressing government officials’ misconduct.

    (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Deepa Babington)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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    Reuters

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  • The Trump administration is lying about gun rights and the death of Alex Pretti

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    Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, Minnesota, outside a restaurant on Saturday. The victim, 37-year-old Alex Pretti, was licensed to carry a firearm, and he had one with him. The available footage does not show every detail of what happened, but Pretti was holding a cell phone rather than his gun when the officers initiated contact and began wrestling him to the ground.

    Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, have already declared the killing completely justified, claiming that Pretti had intended to murder law enforcement agents. There is no evidence of this—none whatsoever—which makes it difficult to avoid the conclusion that the administration is prepared to brazenly lie about what happened.

    Other Republican officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and FBI Director Kash Patel, are taking the position that merely bringing a gun to a protest is a violation of the law or an indication of murderous intent. This is deeply wrong, and it is in conflict with the First and Second Amendments—two fundamental rights that Republicans typically profess to care about.

    As with the killing of Renee Good two weeks ago, the legal threshold at which lethal force can be justified is whether the officer who killed Pretti reasonably feared for his own safety. Only a careful, impartial investigation can determine that. The Justice Department has declined to conduct such an investigation into Good’s death, instead seeking to investigate the victim’s family.

    Video footage of Pretti’s death shows federal agents using pepper spray on protesters. Pretti appears to be recording the altercation with his cell phone. After an agent shoves one of the protesters to the ground, Pretti moves to assist her. Several CBP agents then decide to bring Pretti down.

    It’s conceivable that the agent who shot Pretti had the impression that he was reaching for his weapon—though the first shot clearly went off after another agent disarmed the protester. It’s also possible that the killer didn’t have even that much justification. Yet federal authorities have all but ruled out that possibility, and are making abjectly false statements in support of their mendacious posture.

    Noem has repeatedly claimed it as a fact that Pretti intended to harm officers. “This individual showed up to a law enforcement operation with a weapon and dozens of rounds of ammunition,” she told reporters. “He wasn’t there to peacefully protest. He was there to perpetuate violence.” Miller flatly asserted that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist” who “tried to assassinate federal law enforcement.”

    These are lies. They have no evidence that Pretti wanted to kill anyone. Even if evidence were unexpectedly to come out tomorrow that he was secretly a would-be assassin, it would still be wrong for officials to state as fact that Pretti intended to kill. There are no known facts that establish murder as his motivation. This is a man who was watching officers interact with protesters and recording it on his phone. Contrary to what the Department of Homeland Security wrote on X, he did not approach law enforcement, let alone with a gun drawn.

    These willful omissions and obvious lies do not inspire confidence that the federal government has any interest in discovering the truth of what happened. That is a glaring indictment of the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement specifically and law enforcement in general.

    As if quietly conceding that none of the available facts were advancing their preferred narrative, several Republican officials are taking the ludicrous position that merely possessing a gun in the first place is evidence of an intent to cause harm. Bessent and Patel both sided with Noem on the Sunday morning shows, agreeing that Pretti should not have possessed the gun in the first place. Bessent said the protesters should carry billboards rather than guns. Patel said that bringing a gun to a protest was a violation of the law. That is simply untrue, as Minnesota is a concealed carry state, where it is lawful to carry a firearm in a public place. The notion that an individual cannot or should not exercise his First Amendment and Second Amendment rights at the same time is usually a misguided leftist talking point; in fact, the American Civil Liberties Union has taken criticism from conservatives and libertarians for becoming squishy on this and advocating against the gun rights of protesters after the January 6 riot.

    U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli went even further in the wrong direction, writing on X: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.”

    Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.) took that to task. “Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right, and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government,” wrote Massie.

    Essayli’s comments also drew a rebuke from Gun Owners of America, a lobby that defends the Second Amendment.

    “Federal agents are not ‘highly likely’ to be ‘legally justified’ in ‘shooting’ concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm,” the group wrote on X. “The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting—a right the federal government must not infringe upon.”

    More Republicans should take their cues from Massie and Gun Owners of America. The administration is eager to jettison cherished First and Second Amendment rights to forestall any possibility that a federal agent might be held responsible for an improper shooting. If they succeed, the GOP will cease to be a political party that even pretends to care about free speech and gun rights.

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    Robby Soave

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  • Federal Officials Dig in on Minneapolis Shooting Narrative Despite Video Evidence

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    By Brad Brooks and Tim Reid

    MINNEAPOLIS, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Senior Trump administration officials on Sunday defended the fatal shooting of a U.S. ‌citizen ​by immigration agents in Minneapolis even as video evidence contradicted their version ‌of events and tensions grew between local law enforcement and federal officers.

    As residents visited a makeshift shrine of flowers and candles in frigid temperatures and snow to mark ​Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti — the second shooting death by federal officers in Minneapolis this month — the Trump administration argued that Pretti assaulted officers, compelling them to fire in self-defense.

    Gregory Bovino, Border Patrol commander-at-large speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union”, could not offer evidence ‍that Pretti was trying to impede a law enforcement operation, but ​focused on the fact that the ICU nurse was carrying a gun, which he had a license to carry.

    “The victims are border patrol agents,” Bovino said. “Law enforcement doesn’t assault anyone.”

    Bovino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Pretti of assaulting the agents, rioting and ​obstructing them. 

    “We do know that ⁠he came to that scene and impeded a law enforcement operation, which is against federal law,” Noem told Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing” program. “It’s a felony. When he did that, interacting with those agents, when they tried to get him to disengage, he became aggressive and resisted them.” 

    That official line, echoed by other Trump officials on Sunday, triggered outrage from local law enforcement, many in Minneapolis and Democrats on Capitol Hill, because of bystander videos that appear to show a different version of events.

    HOLDING A PHONE, NOT A GUN

    Videos from the scene verified and reviewed by Reuters showed Pretti, 37, holding a phone in his hand, not a gun, as he tries to help other protesters who have ‌been pushed to the ground by agents.

    As the videos begin, Pretti can be seen filming as a federal agent pushes away one woman and shoves another woman to the ground. Pretti moves between the agent and ​the ‌women, then raises his left arm to shield himself ‍as the agent pepper sprays him.

    Several agents then take ⁠hold of Pretti — who struggles with them — and force him onto his hands and knees. As the agents pin down Pretti, someone shouts what sounds like a warning about the presence of a gun.

    Video footage then appears to show one of the agents removing a gun from Pretti and stepping away from the group with it.

    Moments later, an officer with a handgun pointed at Pretti’s back and fired four shots at him in quick succession. Several more shots can then be heard as another agent appears to fire at Pretti.

    Darius Reeves, the former head of ICE’s field office in Baltimore, told Reuters that federal agents’ apparent lack of communication is troubling. “It’s clear no one is communicating to me, based on my observation of how that team responded,” Reeves said. 

    One of the officers appeared to have taken possession of Pretti’s weapon before he was killed, Reeves said. “The proof to me is how everyone scatters,” he said. “They’re looking around, trying to figure out where the shots came from.” 

    ‘VIDEOS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES’ 

    Brian O’Hara, the Minneapolis police chief, told CBS’ “Face ​the Nation” that “the videos speak for themselves,” adding the Trump administration version of events was “deeply disturbing.” He said he had seen no evidence that Pretti brandished a gun.

    Tensions in the city were already running high after a federal agent fatally shot U.S. citizen Renee Good on Jan 7. Trump officials claim she was trying to ram the agent with her car, but other observers have argued that bystander video suggests she was trying to steer away from the officer who shot her.

    Federal authorities have refused to allow local officials to participate in their investigation of the incident.

    U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, told ABC News’ “This Week” that Trump’s surge of federal agents into Minneapolis was “completely out of control and out of balance,” and that they should leave Minnesota. She described the shooting of Pretti as “simply horrific”.

    The deaths of Good and Pretti have sparked large protests in the Democrat-run city, although on Sunday morning the area where Pretti was shot was calm.

    A woman wearing nursing scrubs ventured out in Sunday’s frigid temperatures to pay homage to Pretti, who she said worked with her. When asked what brought her out, the woman began to sob.

    “He was caring and he was kind. None of this makes any sense,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified by name, saying she feared retribution from the federal government. 

    In addition to large protests in Minneapolis since Good’s death, there have been rallies in other cities led by Democratic politicians, including Los Angeles ​and Washington, D.C., since Trump began sending immigration agents and National Guard troops to those communities last year.

    Trump has defended the operations as necessary to reduce crime and enforce immigration laws.

    Pretti’s shooting triggered legal filings on Saturday night from state and local officials, as well as others.

    A U.S. district judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting federal officials from destroying or altering evidence related to the shooting in response to a lawsuit filed by Minnesota’s attorney general, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. A full hearing is set for Monday.

    Lawyers representing protesters in Minnesota also asked an appeals court to reinstate a ​lower court’s order that prevented violent retaliation by federal agents against protesters, citing Pretti’s death and the likelihood of a surge of people taking to the streets.

    (Reporting by Brad Brooks, Tim Reid, Tom Polansek, Brad Heath and Doina Chiacu; Writing by Tim Reid; Editing by Sergio Non and Nick Zieminski)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says “people have had enough” after Border Patrol shooting

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    Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says “people have had enough” after Border Patrol shooting – CBS News









































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    Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CBS News “this is not sustainable” after a fatal shooting by a Border Patrol agent amid a weekslong immigation crackdown in the city.

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  • Read the full text of Alex Pretti’s parents’ statement following his fatal shooting by Border Patrol forces

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    The parents of Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal immigration enforcement in south Minneapolis Saturday morning, issued a statement calling their son “a good man” and decrying what they called “sickening lies told about our son by the administration.” 

    Pretti was a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital and a U.S. citizen. An online fundraiser set up to help members of Alex Pretti’s family had already raised more than $230,000 by late Saturday night. 

    Pretti was a U.S. citizen, born in Illinois. Like Renee Good, who was killed in Minneapolis by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier in January, court records showed he had no criminal record and his family said he had never had any interactions with law enforcement beyond a couple of traffic tickets. 

    “We are heartbroken but also very angry. 

    “Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman. 

    “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed. 

    “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.”

    While Minnesota officials called Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem’s claims that Pretti was engaged in domestic terrorism “nonsense” and “lies,” Pretti’s parents called the administration’s claims “reprehensible and disgusting.”

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  • Judge blocks Trump admin from ‘destroying or altering’ evidence in deadly Minneapolis shooting

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    A federal judge in Minnesota has blocked the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to a deadly shooting involving a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday.

    The ruling came after the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension filed a lawsuit Saturday to prevent the destruction of evidence in the shooting death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident killed by a Border Patrol agent during an immigration enforcement operation.

    According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Pretti approached Border Patrol agents armed with a 9 mm pistol and “violently resisted” when they attempted to disarm him.

    The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, names DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and U.S. Border Control, as well as Attorney General Pam Bondi, as defendants.

    TRUMP CITES ARMED SUSPECT, LACK OF POLICE SUPPORT FOLLOWING FATAL BORDER PATROL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS

    Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said state officials filed a lawsuit to prevent federal agencies from destroying evidence tied to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. (Reuters/Tim Evans)

    The groups, represented by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, said the litigation is accompanied by a motion for a temporary restraining order that asks the court to immediately prevent the defendants from destroying any evidence related to the shooting.

    In granting the temporary injunction, Judge Eric Tostrud wrote that federal officials and those acting on their behalf cannot destroy evidence taken from the scene of the south Minneapolis shooting or now in their exclusive custody, which state authorities say they were previously barred from inspecting.

    Tostrud scheduled a hearing Monday to review the order.

    “As I said earlier today, I will not rest, my team will not rest, until we have done everything in our power, everything within our authority, to achieve transparency and accountability,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “Our office has jurisdiction to review this matter for potential criminal conduct by the federal agents involved and we will do so.”

    Moriarty added that the lawsuit is just one of the actions her office is taking “to ensure that a thorough and transparent investigation can be completed at the state level.”

    READ IT: BONDI SENDS WARNING LETTER TO GOV WALZ WARNING MINNESOTA’S IMMIGRATION POLICIES ENDANGER AGENTS

    Alex J. Pretti in cycling gear

    This undated photo provided by Michael Pretti shows Alex J. Pretti, the man who was shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.  (Michael Pretti via AP)

    In announcing the litigation, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asserted that “federal agents are not above the law and Alex Pretti is certainly not beneath it.”

    “A full, impartial, and transparent investigation into his fatal shooting at the hands of DHS agents is non-negotiable,” he said in a statement. “Minnesota law enforcement is currently carrying out such an investigation, and it is essential that the evidence collected by federal agents is preserved and turned over to state officials. Today’s lawsuit aims to bar the federal government from destroying or tampering with any of the evidence they have collected.”

    Ellison added that “justice will be done.”

    Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department for comment.

    In a separate statement, Ellison said he shares “intense grief and anger” that Pretti was shot and killed during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.

    APPEALS COURT HANDS TRUMP ADMIN ‘VICTORY’ IN MINNESOTA ICE FORCE RESTRICTIONS CASE

    Pam Bondi looking off the screen

    Attorney General Pam Bondi spoke on Fox News Live regarding the CBP-involved shooting in Minnesota on Saturday, Jan. 24. (Fox News Live)

    He said his office will argue in court Monday to end “this illegal and unconstitutional occupation of our cities and the terror and violence it’s inflicting.”

    The Department of Homeland Security said it is leading the investigation into the shooting.

    Pretti was a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse. Though medics immediately delivered aid, Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene.

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    Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

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  • Videos and witness accounts of deadly Minneapolis shooting at odds with official statements

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    Videos quickly emerged Saturday showing the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis protester by a Border Patrol agent. 

    Bystander videos verified by CBS News show the scene from multiple angles, starting shortly before the encounter that ended in the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an American citizen who worked as an ICU nurse.

    The events unfolded at around 9 a.m. Saturday. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino said officers were pursuing a man in the country illegally who was wanted for domestic assault. Protesters have been trying to disrupt such operations amid an ongoing federal immigration crackdown, and a group of people in the area sounded high-pitched whistles, honked horns and yelled out at the officers.

    Among them was Pretti. At one point, video shows Pretti standing in the street and holding up his phone with his right hand; his left hand appears empty. 

    A screengrab from a video obtained by Reuters shows a man identified as Alex Pretti using a cellphone to record video moments before he was fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026. 

    VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS


    He comes face-to-face with an officer in a tactical vest, who places his hand on Pretti and pushes him toward the sidewalk. Pretti is talking to the officer, though it is not clear what he is saying.

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later said Pretti “approached” officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, but did not say whether he “brandished” the weapon. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said he was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.

    Videos filmed before the shooting show Pretti did not have a gun in his hands.

    Protesters can be seen wandering in and out of the street as officers persist in trying to talk them back. One protester is put in handcuffs. Some officers are carrying pepper spray canisters.

    Pretti comes into view again when the video shows an officer wearing tactical gear shoving a protester. The protester, who is wearing a skirt over black tights and holding a water bottle, reaches out for Pretti.

    The same officer shoves Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.

    A different video then shows Pretti moving toward another protester, who falls over after being shoved by the same officer. 

    Law enforcement officers and protesters before the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis

    A screengrab from a video obtained by Reuters shows a law enforcement officer spraying irritants at a man identified as Alex Pretti, before he was fatally shot in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026. 

    VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS


    Pretti moves between the protester and the officer, reaching his arms out toward the officer. The officer deploys pepper spray, and Pretti raises his hand and turns his face. The officer grabs Pretti’s hand to bring it behind his back, and deploys the pepper spray canister again and then pushes Pretti away.

    Seconds later, at least a half-dozen federal officers surround Pretti, who is wrestled to the ground and hit several times. Several agents try to bring Pretti’s arms behind his back, and he struggles.

    Federal officers at scene of shooting in Minneapolis

    A screengrab from a video obtained by Reuters shows a federal officer pinning down a man, identified as Alex Pretti, before he was fatally shot in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026. 

    VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS


    Videos show an officer in a gray jacket, who is hovering over the scuffle with his right hand on Pretti’s back, reaching into the scuffle empty-handed and then backing away from the group with what appears to be a gun in his right hand.

    Someone shouts “gun, gun.” It is not clear if that’s a reference to the weapon authorities say Pretti had.

    The agent is holding that gun and turning away from the man when the first shot is fired. Videos show the agent in the gray jacket then running across the street as numerous shots can be heard. 

    Videos do not clearly show who fired the first shot. In one video, seconds before the first shot, one officer reaches for his belt and appears to draw his gun. That same officer is seen with a gun to Pretti’s back as three more shots ring out. Pretti slumps to the ground. Videos show the officers backing away, some with guns drawn.

    At a briefing Saturday afternoon, Noem shared an image of the gun she said was recovered. She said officers attempted to disarm the man but he “reacted violently,” and “fearing for his life and the lives of his fellow officers around him, an agent fired defensive shots.”

    Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shows a picture of a firearm she said was carried by the man who was killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026.

    Julia Demaree Nikhinson / AP


    Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said he watched one of several videos, said he saw “more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents, shooting him to death.”

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said, “I’ve seen the videos, from several angles, and it’s sickening.”

    Sworn statements from witnesses

    Sworn declarations submitted in federal court Saturday night by people who said they witnessed the shooting contradict key points of the events presented by federal officials.

    One witness described seeing Pretti observing and filming the scene “just with his camera out. I didn’t see him reach for or hold a gun.” 

    An agent “shoved one of the other observers to the ground” and then pepper sprayed several people, the witness said. “The man with the phone put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him.”

    The witness continued: “The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn’t see him touch any of them — he wasn’t even turned toward them. It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn’t see him with a gun. They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times.”

    Another witness, a pediatrician, described watching out their apartment window and seeing “one civilian … yelling at the ICE agents, but I did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind.”

    Suddenly, the witness said, an agent “shoved him to the ground. My view of the altercation was partially obstructed, but after a few seconds, I saw at least four agents point guns at the man. Then I saw the agents shoot the man six or seven times.”

    “Initially I was stunned,” the witness continued. “From what I could see from my apartment, there was absolutely no need for any violence, let alone lethal force by multiple officers.”

    The witness then described rushing down to the scene, telling officers they were a doctor and performing CPR until an EMS crew arrived. The man had at least four bullet wounds and no pulse, the witness said.

    Camilo Montoya-Galvez and

    Layla Ferris

    contributed to this report.

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  • Quiet candlelight vigils honoring Alex Pretti light street corners across Twin Cities

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    People in neighborhoods around the Twin Cities gathered on sidewalks, in parks and on street corners Saturday night to mark the death of another person killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.

    Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse who worked at the Minneapolis VA hospital, was identified as the man killed by a Border Patrol agent on the south side of the city Saturday morning. The Department of Homeland Security said the agent acted in self-defense after attempting to disarm Pretti, but Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said that account was “nonsense” after reviewing videos of the shooting.

    Saturday’s incident happened less than three weeks after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good and amid an ongoing surge in immigration enforcement action across the city.

    Neighbors, many with small candles nestled in their hands, gathered near Summit Avenue and Lexington Parkway in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    A person holds a candle in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 24, 2026.

    WCCO


    img-9224.jpg

    Several people hold up candles during a vigil in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 24, 2026.

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    img-9223.jpg

    People gather with candles in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 24, 2026.

    WCCO


    Other people gathered quietly in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis and near Lake Nokomis, as well.

    img-20260124-193442.jpg

    People gather at a vigil near Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 24, 2026.

    WCCO


    A group that organized a march and rally against ICE on Friday spread the word on social media, asking people to go to their sidewalks with lighted candles.

    Pretti’s family said in a statement that Pretti was “a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital.”   

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  • 5-year-old taken into custody by ICE has active immigration case, preventing deportation for now

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    The 5-year-old immigrant boy taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement alongside his father in the Minneapolis area earlier this week has an active and pending case in immigration court and cannot be legally deported yet, according to government records reviewed by CBS News.

    The ICE operation that led Liam Adrian Conejo Ramos and his father to be taken into government custody, captured on videos and photos that have gone viral, has garnered national attention and raised questions about who exactly the Trump administration is targeting in its mass deportation campaign.

    Justice Department records reviewed by CBS News indicate Liam and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Ramos, have immigration court cases listed as “pending.” The records by the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review do not list any deportation orders in either case, indicating that an immigration judge still must consider Liam and his father’s claims before any deportation attempt. The information says the family’s immigration court case was docketed on Dec. 17, 2024.

    CBS News was able to review the government information after obtaining the “alien” numbers issued to Liam and his father. Those “A numbers” are issued by the U.S. government to immigrants, illegal and legal alike, to internally track their deportation cases or immigration applications.

    Liam and his father are now being held at the Dilley detention center in Texas, ICE’s long-term holding site for families with underage children, according to officials and the agency’s detainee tracking system.

    Families at the Texas detention center held a protest there on Saturday, an attorney representing migrant children in federal immigration custody confirmed to CBS News. The attorney said the protest was peaceful in nature and involved some of the children holding signs.

    Representatives for Liam and his father say the family is from Ecuador and that they entered the U.S. in 2024 to request asylum. The family’s lawyer said they were able to get an appointment to enter the U.S. at an official crossing site along the southern border, with the government’s permission, through a Biden administration system that relied on a phone app called CBP One. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said Friday the agency has “no record” of the family using CBP One.

    The Trump administration shut down the CBP One process immediately after taking office, and converted it into a self-deportation app now known as CBP Home. It also revoked the legal protections the Biden administration offered those who entered under the program, targeting some of them for arrest and deportation, including during immigration court appointments in cities across the U.S.

    The family’s lawyer has said Liam’s father does not appear to have a criminal record. DHS has called Liam’s father an “illegal alien” and accused him of attempting to flee ICE officers, abandoning his son in the process. McLaughlin, the DHS spokeswoman, said Liam’s father “committed a federal crime by evading arrest.”

    And while immigrants with pending claims cannot be legally deported, immigration officials do have the authority to detain them, if they’re in the U.S. illegally or without a valid legal status, pending the adjudication of those cases.

    Prokosh Law LLC, the law firm representing Liam and his father, did not provide further information when asked about the family’s immigration case.

    “As their attorney of record, our primary concern at this time is Liam and Adrian’s safety, well-being, and the work that is involved in getting them released from detention,” the law firm told CBS News. “While we do the relevant work to secure their release, we are unable to provide further information to the press.” 

    Dueling narratives about the arrest 

    During a press conference in Minneapolis on Friday, Marcos Charles, the head of ICE’s deportation branch, said his officers targeted Liam’s father — not the child — during an arrest operation on Jan. 20. Charles said Liam was with his father inside a vehicle when ICE officers approached them.

    Liam Conejo Ramos, 5, is detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after arriving home from preschool on Jan. 20, 2026, in a Minneapolis suburb.

    Ali Daniels / AP


    Charles said Liam’s father tried to escape on foot, “abandoning his child in the middle of winter in a vehicle.” He said an officer stayed with Liam, while others arrested his father. ICE officers “cared for” Liam and took him to a drive-through restaurant, Charles added.

    ICE officers tried to get Liam’s family to take the child but the “people inside refused to take him in and open the door,” according to Charles. He noted his officers were “heartbroken” by the incident.

    Sergio Amezcua, a pastor who said he’s spoken to Liam’s mother, noted she “was terrified” during the incident.

    “ICE agents were trying to use the baby for her to come out of her house,” Amezcua said on CNN. “But the neighbors step[ped] up. Neighbors advised her not to do it.”

    On Friday, Charles said families held by ICE get “top-notch care” at facilities like the Dilley center in Texas, calling their treatment “better than social services.”

    “They have medical care. The food is good. They have learning services. They have church services available. They have recreation,” Charles said.

    But advocates for immigrants have raised concerns about conditions at the Dilley facility. Neha Desai, an attorney at the California-based National Center for Youth Law, which represents migrant children in U.S. custody, said minors held at Dilley have experienced “a dramatic decline in their physical and mental health.”

    “The current conditions at Dilley are fundamentally unsafe for anyone, let alone young children,” Desai said. “Since the re-opening of family detention, hundreds of families — including babies and toddlers — have been subjected to substandard medical care, degrading and harsh treatment and extremely prolonged times in custody.”

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  • Latest details after another Minneapolis resident killed by federal agents

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    Latest details after another Minneapolis resident killed by federal agents – CBS News









































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    CBS News Minnesota reports on what we know after federal agents shot and killed another person in south Minneapolis Saturday morning.

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  • Latest deadly shooting by federal agents pushes government closer to shutdown as Trump claims Minnesota officials are ‘inciting insurrection’ | Fortune

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    Another deadly shooting in Minnesota at the hands of federal agents carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown heaped pressure on Senate Democrats to shut down the federal government again.

    Meanwhile, Trump appeared to inch closer to deploying active-duty troops to the state after accusing local officials of “inciting insurrection.”

    A series of appropriations bills passed the House of Representatives earlier in the week, including one to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which includes agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol.

    The Senate must pass those bills in a so-called minibus or else the government will run out of funding on Friday. That’s after lawmakers agreed to end the previous shutdown in November with short-term funding.

    The shooting death of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month had already prompted Democrats to seek reforms from DHS in exchange for votes on funding.

    Another non-fatal shooting by immigration officers followed, but the latest death on Saturday stirred fresh demands from House Democrats that counterparts in the Senate must reject DHS funding.

    “Senate Dems should block ICE funding this week. Activate the National Guard. We can and must stop this,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on social media.

    So far, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as well as Minnesota’s two Democratic senators have called on ICE to get out of the state without saying anything about the appropriations bill.

    But Sen. Chris Murphy, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee that oversees the DHS budget, reiterated his earlier push to linking reforms and funding.

    “1. ICE must leave Minneapolis. 2. Congress should not fund this version of ICE – that is seeking confirmation, chaos and dystopia,” he posted.

    Murphy added later: “The Senate should not vote to keep funding this rampage. We are not powerless. We do not need to accept this.”

    Other Democrats, including senators Elizabeth Warren, Mark Warner, Brian Schatz, Mark Kelly, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Jacky Rosen have also signaled they will block DHS funding.

    The shooting also followed days of reports about immigration officers in Minnesota detaining young children, arresting U.S. citizens, and forcibly entering homes without judicial warrants.

    But on Saturday, Trump blamed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for demanding that immigration agents leave the city.

    “The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric!” he wrote.

    That suggests Trump may invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy the military to Minnesota. Last week, two infantry battalions of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska and specializes in arctic operations, were given prepare-to-deploy orders.

    If he does that, the political fight over his immigration policies would likely escalate from a budgetary standoff to a constitutional battle.

    Earlier this month, Trump said he would invoke the 1807 law “if the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job.”

    A day later, he told reporters there wasn’t a reason to use it “right now,” but added “If I needed it, I’d use it.”

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  • Man fatally shot by federal officer in Minnesota worked as an ICU nurse, his parents say

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    Family members say the man killed by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday was an intensive care nurse at the Veterans Administration who cared deeply about people and was upset by President Trump’s immigration crackdown in his city.

    The Associated Press reported that the man, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, was an avid outdoorsman who loved getting in adventures with Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog who also recently died. He had participated in protests following the killing of Renee Good, who was shot behind the wheel of her SUV by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Law Enforcement officer earlier this month.

    “He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset,” said Michael Pretti, Alex’s father. “He felt that doing the protesting was a way to express that, you know, his care for others.”

    Pretti was a U.S. citizen, born in Illinois. Like Good, court records showed he had no criminal record and his family said he had never had any interactions with law enforcement beyond a couple of traffic tickets.

    In a recent conversation with their son, his parents, who live in Wisconsin, told him to be careful when protesting.

    “We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,” Michael Pretti said. “And he said he knows that. He knew that.”

    The Department of Homeland Security said that the man was shot after he “approached” U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. Officials did not specify if Pretti brandished the gun, and it is not visible in bystander video of the shooting obtained and verified by CBS News, The AP and other outlets.

    Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They said they had never known him to carry it. 

    Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara also said police believed he was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. 

    The shooting came one day after tens of thousands of people marched through downtown Minneapolis to protest ICE’s presence in the city. 

    The family first learned of the shooting when they were called by an Associated Press reporter. They watched the video and said the man killed appeared to be their son. They then tried reaching out to officials in Minnesota.

    “I can’t get any information from anybody,” Michael Pretti said Saturday. “The police, they said call Border Patrol, Border Patrol’s closed, the hospitals won’t answer any questions?”

    Eventually, the family called the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, who they said confirmed had a body matching the name and description of their son.

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  • Minneapolis man says he can’t believe federal agents shot man “in cold blood”

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    Minneapolis man says he can’t believe federal agents shot man “in cold blood” – CBS News









































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    A Minneapolis man told CBS News Minnesota’s Frankie McLister that he couldn’t believe federal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old man “in cold blood.” “Today this could’ve just as easily been me that got shot,” he said.

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