A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily barred the Trump administration from detaining refugees in Minnesota who do not yet have green cards, following a bid by the administration to reexamine thousands of refugees’ cases.
The temporary restraining order was brought about by the International Refugee Assistance Project and other organizations, on behalf of a group of refugees who have been detained by immigration authorities or fear detention.
“Refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, a right to work, a right to live peacefully—and importantly, a right not to be subjected to the terror of being arrested and detained without warrants or cause in their homes or on their way to religious services or to buy groceries,” wrote U.S. District Judge John Tunheim. “At its best, America serves as a haven of individual liberties in a world too often full of tyranny and cruelty. We abandon that ideal when we subject our neighbors to fear and chaos.”
Tunheim’s order focuses on the Department of Homeland Security’s plan — known as Operation PARRIS — to review the immigration cases of roughly 5,600 people who currently live in Minnesota legally with refugee status but aren’t yet lawful permanent residents in the U.S. The department has said the program will involve conducting new interviews and background checks for those refugees, who were initially vetted before entering the country.
The legal challenge against the program alleges that federal authorities “implemented a practice of arresting and detaining — without notice or warrant — individuals previously screened and admitted into the United States as refugees,” Tunheim wrote in his restraining order.
Tunheim said the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing that the government doesn’t have the legal right to detain refugees who aren’t facing possible deportation.
The judge’s order prohibits the Trump administration from detaining refugees in Minnesota on the basis that “they are a refugee who has not been adjusted to lawful resident status.”
He also ordered the administration to “immediately release” anyone covered by the ruling who is currently detained. Any refugees who are detained out-of-state must be transported back to Minnesota and released within five days.
Kimberly Grano, a staff attorney at the International Refugee Assistance Project, said in a statement: “For more than two weeks, refugees in Minnesota have been living in terror of being hunted down and disappeared to Texas. This Temporary Restraining Order will immediately put in place desperately-needed guardrails on ICE and protect resettled refugees from being unlawfully targeted for arrest and detention.”
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote on X in response to the ruling: “The judicial sabotage of democracy is unending.”
CBS News has reached out to DHS and the Justice Department for comment.
Wednesday’s ruling came amid a two-month-long crackdown by federal immigration authorities in Minnesota, with around 3,000 federal agents carrying out roughly 3,400 arrests. It also follows an unprecedented November order by the Trump administration, obtained by CBS News, to review the cases of refugees admitted under former President Joe Biden and identify potential reasons why they might be ineligible to stay in the U.S.
Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase are pledging to make a matching $1,000 contribution to their employees who open a Trump Account, a retirement savings plan announced by the White House last year for children born during President Trump’s second term in office.
The program calls for the federal government to start each tax-preferred Trump Account for eligible kids with $1,000, which would be invested in the stock market on their behalf. To qualify for the accounts, children must be born in the U.S. between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028.
“JPMorganChase has demonstrated a long-term commitment to the financial health and well-being of all of our employees and their families around the world, including more than 190,000 here in the United States,” CEO Jamie Dimon said in a statement on Wednesday. “By matching this contribution, we’re making it easier for them to start saving early, invest wisely and plan for their family’s financial future.”
Bank of America also said that it will match the government’s $1,000 contribution for eligible employees. The company will also allow workers to make pre-tax contributions to their children’s Trump Account.
“We applaud that the federal government is providing innovative solutions for employees and families to plan for their future, and we welcome the opportunity to participate,” Bank of America said.
Other companies and individuals have made similar pledges to fund their workers’ Trump Accounts. Intel on Tuesday said it will give its workers’ kids a head start through its contribution.
“By matching the federal government’s contribution, Intel is reinforcing our longstanding commitment to investing in our people and expanding the ways we support employees’ families as they prepare for the future,” the company said in a statement.
Also on Thursday, Erika Kirk, the widow of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk and CEO of the group Turning Point USA, said in a post on social media that the organization will “support families through a company-sponsored dollar-for-dollar match of the federal government’s $1,000 contribution to the 503A ‘Trump Account’ established for every eligible employee’s newborn baby.”
In December, technology entrepreneur Michael Dell and his wife Susan said they would donate $250 to each Trump Account to 25 million American children, a $6.25 billion investment.
Charles Schwab also said last year that it would seed employee Trump Accounts with $1,000, while BlackRock, BNY and Charter Communications have made similar promises.
When families can start saving in a Trump Account
At a Treasury Department event promoting the new investment vehicle on Wednesday, Mr. Trump urged other U.S. employers to contribute to their workers’ Trump Accounts.
“Trump accounts will help bring the hope and prosperity to every community,” he said in touting the accounts as a way for Americans to save money to buy a home, pay for college, put money away for retirement and address other financial needs.
Families can start making financial contributions to a Trump Account on July 4, according to the Trump administration. Excluding the government’s $1,000 donation, a total of $5,000 per child can be deposited into an account each year.
“You got $1,000 coming from the government that’s going to be invested into an index fund,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS News’ Kelly O’Grady in an interview on Wednesday, adding that “even if your child doesn’t get $1,000 from the government, you can contribute in tax free. And we’re going to have employers who are contributing.”
Employers can contribute up to $2,500 per year to an employee’s account tax-free, which counts toward the $5,000 limit. In most cases, families cannot withdraw funds from a Trump Account before a child turns 18.
Both agents were placed on administrative leave, according to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. MS Now was first to report that detail.
The preliminary report, from a Customs and Border Protectioninternal investigation led by the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility, was sent to congressional committees Tuesday, including the House Homeland Security and Judiciary committees, according to three sources.
The DHS report said that during the encounter Jan. 24, an officer yelled “He’s got a gun!” multiple times and then “approximately five seconds later a BPA [Border Patrol agent] discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a CBPO [Customs and Border Protection officer] also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti.”
It’s unclear from the report whether the bullets from both officers’ guns hit Pretti.
The report also did not make any mention of Pretti attacking officers or brandishing a gun, as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed in the aftermath of the shooting.
Multiple videos recorded by eyewitnesses that were verified and analyzed by NBC News show Pretti did not hold a weapon during the struggle as he was surrounded by agents. One video shows that a federal agent removed a gun from Pretti’s waist area just before he was shot.
The report said that after the shooting, a Border Patrol agent said he had possession of Pretti’s gun, which was then secured in his vehicle.
The report said its findings were based on CBP documents and body-camera from officers on the scene.
It said that officers were “conducting enforcement actions” in Minneapolis on Saturday morning as part of Operation Metro Surge, near the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and 25th Street.
The operation has seen some 3,000 federal officers and agents deployed to Minnesota — Minneapolis Police Department has just 600 officers — as part of President Donald Trump‘s crackdown on migrant communities and what federal officials say is an attempt to stamp out local corruption and fraud.
The surge has been met with strong local opposition and protests, particularly after a local woman, Renee Good, was shot dead by an immigration officer while at the wheel of her car Jan. 7.
“Several civilians were in the area yelling and blowing whistles. BPAs and CBPOs made several verbal requests for the civilians to stay on the sidewalks and out of the roadway,” the report into Pretti’s death said.
An officer was then “confronted” by two women blowing whistles who failed to comply with an order to move out of the road, according to the report. After the officer pushed them both away, it said, one of them ran to a man the report identified as Pretti.
The officer continued to attempt to move the woman and Pretti out of the road before using his pepper spray on them both, the report said.
“CBP personnel attempted to take Pretti into custody. Pretti resisted CBP personnel’s efforts and a struggle ensued. During the struggle, a BPA yelled, ‘He’s got a gun!’ multiple times,” the report said.
Approximately five seconds later, a Border Patrol agent and a CBP officer both fired shots at Pretti, according to the report.
At 9:02 a.m., CBP staff cut Pretti’s clothes and provided first aid including placing chest seals on his wounds, before fire department medics arrived two minutes later, the report said.
He was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center at approximately 9:32 a.m.
Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller said Tuesday that the initial statement from DHS — which in the hours after the shooting said Pretti “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement” — was based on reports from CBP staff on the ground.
He said that the White House had provided “clear guidance to DHS that the extra personnel that had been sent to Minnesota for force protection should be used for conducting fugitive operations to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.”
“We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol,” he said.
A DHS spokesperson said: “The initial statement was based on reports from CBP from a very chaotic scene on the ground. That’s precisely why an investigation is underway and DHS will let the facts lead the investigation.”
Miller’s initial comments prompted a significant backlash, including from many in the Republican Party. The operation in Minnesota has no fixed end date and was already facing criticism following the shooting of Good.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump was asked about his staff’s assessment that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist.”
“I haven’t heard that, but certainly he shouldn’t have been carrying a gun,” the president said.
President Donald Trump talked about the killing of Alex Pretti while visting a restaurant in Iowa.
Both DHS and CBP are conducting investigations into the shooting and the results of an autopsy are still to be released by Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
A CBP spokesperson said the report was released as per standard procedures and provided only an outline of what took place.
“They provide an initial outline of an event that took place and do not convey any definitive conclusion or investigative findings. They are factual reports – not analytical judgments – and are provided to inform Congress and to promote transparency,” the spokesperson said.
The CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility says it investigates “criminal and serious misconduct or mismanagement allegations.”
Melanie Zanona and Kyle Stewart contributed.
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Frank Thorp V, Patrick Smith and Laura Strickler | NBC News
The proposed Billionaire Tax Act, imposing a one-time 5% tax on the total wealth of Californians whose net worth is $1 billion or more, needs reconsideration.
Certainly, anyone with $1 billion (or more) has more than enough to live very comfortably, but there is an approach that would be less onerous to the billionaires and more helpful to the state.
A one-time 5% tax would bring in a windfall for the state — once. And since it would be a one-off, it would likely just get spent on one-off types of things, providing no long-term benefit.
Far better would be an annual wealth tax of, say, 0.5%. That’s just pulling a number out of the air, but the point is that it would generate a steady source of income — and not come as a jolt, one-time though it might be, to those being taxed.
Once again, we hear billionaires are fleeing California because of the possibility of a one-time 5% tax, but billionaires aren’t moving to buggy, high-humidity states. They are moving their LLCs to Nevada for “more flexible tax planning.” Buying a house in Florida doesn’t mean moving your life there. It means counting days to be able to pretend you don’t reside in California.
They pay lawyers and accountants to avoid paying taxes even if paying the taxes would be cheaper. Zero tax is the goal. California taxes income, not unrealized wealth, which is why so much billionaire wealth escapes taxation. A temporary tax won’t start an exodus.
So no, California won’t lose the billionaires. They aren’t making California weather anywhere else. I don’t care whether they enact this law or not — it won’t make any difference.
It’s clear that our government schools need competition. Denying the most important demographic in our country the opportunity to participate, along with their parents, in a competitive system denies them the chance to do well. The government schools are failing our students.
More tax money, more government and more unions won’t help. Parents and students need to be able to choose the school that will serve them the best. Competition benefits the consumer. This may be a new concept to some, but it’s a very important one. Politicians and school officials can talk all they want about insufficient taxes, but money alone won’t fix the problem.
Thomas Baker San Jose
Schools must provide classroom supplies
Teachers have to request basic classroom supplies through donation sites or fundraisers instead of receiving them from the school.
This is happening at schools in Cupertino Union School District, such as Miller Middle and Warren E. Hyde Middle, where teachers post projects asking for items such as art supplies, books and classroom tools. Teachers should have the materials they need without having to rely on donations.
I believe the school district should ensure that every classroom has all the basic supplies required. If the district provided these resources, teachers could focus fully on teaching, and students at Miller and other nearby schools would benefit. This issue affects not only our schools, but schools around the world.
I am writing this letter to encourage the government to make sure classrooms are properly supported.
Adithi Nimmagadda San Jose
What is Trump’s endgame with ICE?
I closely watch the news. I mostly watch MS NOW, or whatever NBC cable calls itself today. I’d watch right-wingers like Fox or Newsmax too, but can’t get past 30 seconds without hearing Trump-inspired lies.
What is striking is that no one, even the left, is connecting all the dots to expose Donald Trump’s goal of imposing military rule by provoking insurrection. He isn’t about migrants, deportation or even protest control. He doesn’t care who his thugs shoot. He only cares if they shoot back. This is what he’s waiting for. Once he gets the Army and Marines on your nearest corner, he has them where he needs them to control access to polling places later this year.
Mark my words: the pressure will remain until someone shoots and kills a Trump ICE agent. A nationwide Insurrection Act declaration will follow before the body is even cold.
Robert Wahler San Jose
Trump is given rope that will hang us all
Clay Bennett’s cartoon, pointing out the relationship between the Epstein file redactions and the flurry of new dramas, while not “funny,” does make chilling sense.
What I don’t understand is why our constitutional guardrails haven’t kicked in. Greenland, Venezuela, Iran, Minneapolis, plus our health care and pocketbooks, have created a world of chaos.
When Joe Biden demonstrated age-related decline at the debate, the nation was quick to anger and dump him. Now we have a president who repeatedly lies, insults people worldwide, is obviously in poor physical health and also shows age-related mental decline, and he is allowed to paint it all over in gold.
Changes are coming to federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
Days after the shooting death of Alex Pretti by federal agents, the Trump administration pulled back Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino from the state and brought in border czar Tom Homan instead.
Some have suggested the move sidelines Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, but President Donald Trump has said he still supports her in that role.
“She absolutely should be fired by the president,” said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts.
President Donald Trump talked about the killing of Alex Pretti while visting a restaurant in Iowa.
Democrats believe this is a critical moment. Moulton traveled to Minneapolis on Tuesday and spoke with NBC10 Boston shortly after landing, applauding the president’s most recent steps, but couching that praise with a stark reminder.
“I guess there’s a little bit of hope in some of the actions that the administration is taking, but let’s be clear, they’re only taking these actions because two American patriots are dead on the streets of Minneapolis,” he said.
The congressman is in Minnesota in an official capacity carrying out Congressional oversight duties.
“This could be coming to Massachusetts next, so we need to be prepared, and there’s no better way to prepare for Massachusetts than to understand what’s going on in Minneapolis,” Moulton said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump has not labeled Alex Pretti a domestic terrorist and will let the investigation determine the facts.
Others, like fellow Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts, are calling on Congress to act.
“The president is starting to buckle,” said Auchincloss. “Which means that those of us who support the Constitution and civil rights and due process need to press even harder.”
The White House has faced similar criticism from Republicans in the wake of this weekend’s shooting. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both Republicans, joined a chorus of Democratic lawmakers calling for Noem’s resignation, NBC News reported Tuesday.
Local GOP strategists say the recent pivot in Minnesota is warranted.
“I think the president, taking the initiative to understand that tensions are probably higher than anybody anticipated it becoming, I think he did the right thing,” said Republican strategist Ozzie Palomo.
Even so, Trump maintains immigration enforcement is needed in Minnesota and beyond. “We can’t lose sight of the fact,” he told reporters before departing the White House.
As the U.S. military began launching strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean last year, a young Trinidadian man who was in Venezuela for work was searching for a way home, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.Chad Joseph, 26, had been in Venezuela for months fishing and doing farm work when he began looking for a boat to hitch a ride back to Las Cuevas in Trinidad and Tobago, where his wife and three children lived. But as the U.S. began targeting vessels officials said were carrying drugs destined for American streets, Joseph “became increasingly fearful” of making the journey, court documents say. The concerns became so real that in early September, his wife recalled, he called to assure her that he had not been aboard a vessel just hit by the U.S., pledging to be home soon.The last call home was on Oct. 12, when Joseph told his wife he’d found a boat to bring him back to Trinidad, and he would be seeing her in a matter of days, according to court documents. Two days later, however, on Oct. 14, the U.S. struck another target — a boat Joseph’s family believes he was in.“Mr. Joseph’s wife repeatedly called Mr. Joseph’s cellphone, but the line was dead,” a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the U.S. government says. “The line remains dead to this day.”Joseph’s family, and the family of another Trinidadian man, 41-year-old Rishi Samaroo, who had been working with Joseph in Venezuela and who is also believed to have been on the boat, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government on Tuesday for wrongful death and extrajudicial killing of the two men. The complaint calls the strikes “unprecedented and manifestly unlawful,” and says they have carried out “premeditated and intentional killings” with no legal justification.CNN asked the Justice Department for comment but did not immediately receive a response before publication. The Defense Department declined to comment on ongoing litigation.The complaint says that, despite claims by President Donald Trump and other administration officials that all the men killed on board were “narcoterrorists,” neither Joseph nor Samaroo had any affiliation to drug cartels.The lawsuit marks the first opportunity for a judge to rule on the legality of the strikes which are part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific — dubbed Operation Southern Spear — that has killed at least 117 people. The most recent strike was carried out last week in the eastern Pacific, killing two and leaving one survivor who was being searched for by the Coast Guard.The lawsuit points specifically to the Death on the High Seas Act, which allows family members to sue over wrongful deaths on the high seas, and the Alien Tort Statute, which lets foreign nationals sue in federal courts over violations of international law.The families are suing for compensatory and punitive damages and they are being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Jonathan Hafetz with the Seton Hall Law School.The administration has publicly presented little evidence that those killed in the ongoing campaign are affiliates of drug cartels, or that each of the vessels had drugs on them. When pressed by lawmakers during congressional briefings, military officials have acknowledged they do not know the identities of everyone on board the boats they have destroyed.The legality of the strikes has come under intense scrutiny in Congress since the operations began in September, including particular interest in the very first strike, when the military carried out a second strike that killed two survivors of an initial attack. Multiple current and former military lawyers previously told CNN the strikes do not appear lawful.But the administration has maintained that the operation is a necessary step against drugs heading for US shores that will ultimately harm Americans.Trump announced the Oct. 14 strike in a social media post, saying “six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed” and that intelligence had confirmed the vessel was “trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route.”‘They must be held accountable’Similar to Joseph, Samaroo had communicated with his family just days before the Oct. 14 strike. Having served 15 years in prison for “participation in a homicide” in Trinidad, and released early on parole, Samaroo moved to Las Cuevas, Trinidad, and in August 2025 he went to Venezuela to work on a farm, the lawsuit says.He frequently shared photos and videos with his family of his time on the farm, “where he cared for cows and goats and made cheese.” During one video call, he introduced Joseph, a friend from home who he said he was working with in Venezuela.On Oct. 12, Samaroo sent his sister, Sallycar Korasingh, a photo in a lifejacket, telling her he had found a boat to bring him back to Trinidad and he would see her in a few days.“That call was the last time Ms. Korasingh, or anyone else in his family, heard from Mr. Samaroo,” the complaint says.In a statement issued by the ACLU, Korasingh said her brother was a “hardworking man who paid his debt to society and was just trying to get back on his feet again.”“If the US government believed Rishi had done anything wrong, it should have arrested, charged, and detained him,” she said. “Not murdered him. They must be held accountable.”Members of the administration have repeatedly insisted that those killed in the strikes are “narcoterrorists” — in November, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media that “every trafficker killed is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.”The lawsuit, however, says neither Joseph nor Samaroo were “members of, or affiliated with, drug cartels.”“The Trinidadian government has publicly stated that ‘the government has no information linking Joseph or Samaroo to illegal activities,’ and that it had ‘no information of the victims of US strikes being in possession of illegal drugs, guns, or small arms,’” the complaint says.The complaint calls into question one of the primary claims made by Trump administration officials throughout the course of the campaign, that the boats — and the drugs allegedly aboard them — were headed for the U.S. and required urgent military action. The lawsuit says, however, that Joseph and Samaroo were headed home to Trinidad on the vessel targeted by the US.In the wake of the first strike in September, Secretary of State Marco Rubio initially said that boat was headed toward Trinidad or elsewhere in the Caribbean.Last year, the Trump administration justified the operation with a classified legal opinion produced by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. The opinion argues that the president is allowed to authorize deadly force against a broad range of cartels because they pose an imminent threat to Americans.The opinion appears to justify an open-ended war against a secret list of groups, legal experts have said, giving the president power to designate drug traffickers as enemy combatants and have them killed without legal review. Historically, those involved in drug trafficking were considered criminals with due process rights, with the Coast Guard interdicting drug-trafficking vessels and arresting smugglers.The lawsuit, however, offers the first opportunity for those who believe the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings to present their case before a judge.“Whatever that secret memorandum states, it cannot render the patently illegal killings lawful,” the court filing says.
As the U.S. military began launching strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean last year, a young Trinidadian man who was in Venezuela for work was searching for a way home, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.
Chad Joseph, 26, had been in Venezuela for months fishing and doing farm work when he began looking for a boat to hitch a ride back to Las Cuevas in Trinidad and Tobago, where his wife and three children lived. But as the U.S. began targeting vessels officials said were carrying drugs destined for American streets, Joseph “became increasingly fearful” of making the journey, court documents say. The concerns became so real that in early September, his wife recalled, he called to assure her that he had not been aboard a vessel just hit by the U.S., pledging to be home soon.
The last call home was on Oct. 12, when Joseph told his wife he’d found a boat to bring him back to Trinidad, and he would be seeing her in a matter of days, according to court documents. Two days later, however, on Oct. 14, the U.S. struck another target — a boat Joseph’s family believes he was in.
“Mr. Joseph’s wife repeatedly called Mr. Joseph’s cellphone, but the line was dead,” a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the U.S. government says. “The line remains dead to this day.”
Andrea de Silva/Reuters/File via CNN Newsource
Messiah Burnley, nephew of Chad Joseph, who was killed in a U.S. military strike on a boat in the Caribbean, carries a girl in front of an altar for Joseph in the family home in Las Cuevas, Trinidad and Tobago, October 22, 2025.
Joseph’s family, and the family of another Trinidadian man, 41-year-old Rishi Samaroo, who had been working with Joseph in Venezuela and who is also believed to have been on the boat, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government on Tuesday for wrongful death and extrajudicial killing of the two men. The complaint calls the strikes “unprecedented and manifestly unlawful,” and says they have carried out “premeditated and intentional killings” with no legal justification.
CNN asked the Justice Department for comment but did not immediately receive a response before publication. The Defense Department declined to comment on ongoing litigation.
The complaint says that, despite claims by President Donald Trump and other administration officials that all the men killed on board were “narcoterrorists,” neither Joseph nor Samaroo had any affiliation to drug cartels.
The lawsuit marks the first opportunity for a judge to rule on the legality of the strikes which are part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific — dubbed Operation Southern Spear — that has killed at least 117 people. The most recent strike was carried out last week in the eastern Pacific, killing two and leaving one survivor who was being searched for by the Coast Guard.
The lawsuit points specifically to the Death on the High Seas Act, which allows family members to sue over wrongful deaths on the high seas, and the Alien Tort Statute, which lets foreign nationals sue in federal courts over violations of international law.
The families are suing for compensatory and punitive damages and they are being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Jonathan Hafetz with the Seton Hall Law School.
The administration has publicly presented little evidence that those killed in the ongoing campaign are affiliates of drug cartels, or that each of the vessels had drugs on them. When pressed by lawmakers during congressional briefings, military officials have acknowledged they do not know the identities of everyone on board the boats they have destroyed.
The legality of the strikes has come under intense scrutiny in Congress since the operations began in September, including particular interest in the very first strike, when the military carried out a second strike that killed two survivors of an initial attack. Multiple current and former military lawyers previously told CNN the strikes do not appear lawful.
But the administration has maintained that the operation is a necessary step against drugs heading for US shores that will ultimately harm Americans.
Trump announced the Oct. 14 strike in a social media post, saying “six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed” and that intelligence had confirmed the vessel was “trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route.”
‘They must be held accountable’
Similar to Joseph, Samaroo had communicated with his family just days before the Oct. 14 strike. Having served 15 years in prison for “participation in a homicide” in Trinidad, and released early on parole, Samaroo moved to Las Cuevas, Trinidad, and in August 2025 he went to Venezuela to work on a farm, the lawsuit says.
He frequently shared photos and videos with his family of his time on the farm, “where he cared for cows and goats and made cheese.” During one video call, he introduced Joseph, a friend from home who he said he was working with in Venezuela.
On Oct. 12, Samaroo sent his sister, Sallycar Korasingh, a photo in a lifejacket, telling her he had found a boat to bring him back to Trinidad and he would see her in a few days.
“That call was the last time Ms. Korasingh, or anyone else in his family, heard from Mr. Samaroo,” the complaint says.
In a statement issued by the ACLU, Korasingh said her brother was a “hardworking man who paid his debt to society and was just trying to get back on his feet again.”
“If the US government believed Rishi had done anything wrong, it should have arrested, charged, and detained him,” she said. “Not murdered him. They must be held accountable.”
Members of the administration have repeatedly insisted that those killed in the strikes are “narcoterrorists” — in November, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media that “every trafficker killed is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.”
The lawsuit, however, says neither Joseph nor Samaroo were “members of, or affiliated with, drug cartels.”
“The Trinidadian government has publicly stated that ‘the government has no information linking Joseph or Samaroo to illegal activities,’ and that it had ‘no information of the victims of US strikes being in possession of illegal drugs, guns, or small arms,’” the complaint says.
The complaint calls into question one of the primary claims made by Trump administration officials throughout the course of the campaign, that the boats — and the drugs allegedly aboard them — were headed for the U.S. and required urgent military action. The lawsuit says, however, that Joseph and Samaroo were headed home to Trinidad on the vessel targeted by the US.
In the wake of the first strike in September, Secretary of State Marco Rubio initially said that boat was headed toward Trinidad or elsewhere in the Caribbean.
Last year, the Trump administration justified the operation with a classified legal opinion produced by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. The opinion argues that the president is allowed to authorize deadly force against a broad range of cartels because they pose an imminent threat to Americans.
The opinion appears to justify an open-ended war against a secret list of groups, legal experts have said, giving the president power to designate drug traffickers as enemy combatants and have them killed without legal review. Historically, those involved in drug trafficking were considered criminals with due process rights, with the Coast Guard interdicting drug-trafficking vessels and arresting smugglers.
The lawsuit, however, offers the first opportunity for those who believe the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings to present their case before a judge.
“Whatever that secret memorandum states, it cannot render the patently illegal killings lawful,” the court filing says.
Registered nurse Silvia Lu was working the day shift at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland when she read about the shooting death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was protesting the ICE immigration crackdown on the streets of Minneapolis.
On a day shift in the emergency department Saturday, where Lu often cares for children recovering from heart surgeries and car crashes, she struggled to hold back her emotions.
“I held my tears back the whole day,” she said.
She carried that pent-up grief outside the hospital Monday evening, where she joined about 200 others, mostly nurses, in a candlelight vigil to remember the 37-year-old Minnesota nurse whose death has become the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge.
Just weeks earlier, videos circulating online showed an ICE officer shooting and killing Renee Good, another Minnesota protester and mother of three, as she attempted to drive away during a separate enforcement operation, according to media reports.
“I just felt I needed to do something. I needed to stand up for this and to just make myself present to the horrendous things that are going on in this country,” said Mary Dhont, a nurse in the hospital’s outpatient infusion clinic who joined the vigil organized by the California Nurses Association. “This is just the latest in a string. But it was horrible. The fact that he was a nurse just brought it closer to home.”
Registered nurse Hannah Pelletier, center, friend Tim McNamara, left, and others attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
The nurses’ vigil came after a weekend of scattered protests in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland over Pretti’s death.
So far, the Bay Area has been spared the kind of sweeping federal operation underway in Minneapolis. There, videos and news reports have shown ICE agents pulling people from their vehicles and detaining children during enforcement actions. Separate bystander videos captured the shootings of both Pretti and Good.
In October, after President Donald Trump sent 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, he threatened to deploy them to San Francisco as well to clean up the city’s “mess.” But the president backed off after appeals from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and tech executives, including Marc Benioff, the Salesforce CEO whose family name is attached to the Oakland children’s hospital.
On Monday, in a petition circulating online, a group of tech workers urged Silicon Valley executives to flex their political muscle again and “cancel all company contracts with ICE.”
“This cannot continue, and we know the tech industry can make a difference,” they wrote. “Today, we’re calling on our CEOs to pick up the phone again.”
Nurses said they were especially worried about the families of their young patients.
Registered nurse Michelle Trautman, center, and others attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
“We take care of a lot of families, immigrant families, patients that may not have the ability to afford care otherwise,” said nurse Michelle Trautman. “And I’m concerned that they’re going to try and take advantage of that vulnerability to grab some of our patients and send them away when they obviously need care.”
In the hours after Pretti’s death, Trump administration officials said the shooting was justified, arguing that because Pretti carried a legally registered handgun in his waistband, he posed a threat to officers and intended a “massacre.” Trump adviser Stephen Miller called Pretti an “assassin.”
Those characterizations outraged his family and Democratic politicians, who pointed to bystander videos showing Pretti helping a woman who had been pushed by an ICE agent and holding only his camera.
He was pinned to the ground by multiple ICE agents, the videos show, and his gun had already been pulled from his waistband by an agent when he was shot several times.
The Bay Area’s Democratic congressional delegation has responded by voting against a Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that would provide additional funding for ICE.
Healthcare professionals and community members attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
“I cannot and will not continue to fund lawlessness or federal agencies that terrorize families in their own neighborhoods and criminalize people for seeking opportunity and refuge,” U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Oakland, said in a statement. “What we’re witnessing is cruel, immoral, and completely at odds with the promise of the American dream.”
U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo, San Jose’s former mayor, also voted against further funding.
“ICE has abandoned its mission of removing violent criminals in favor of detaining children, shooting Americans, and terrorizing our communities,” he said in a statement.
At the busy intersection of 52nd Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way on Monday evening, streams of cars honked and waved as they passed nurses and other supporters holding signs reading “Melt ICE” and “Justice for Alex Pretti.”
Aaron Cortez, of Oakland, attends a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Aaron Cortez, 28, of Alameda, said fear drove him to attend the vigil.
His family has lived in California for generations, with relatives who served in the U.S. military, but he still worries about a potential ICE raid.
“They just see me by the color of my skin, and that worries me,” said Cortez, who cares for ailing relatives at home. “And so I decided to come out because I had to, I needed to show that we’re all here together, that no matter what happens, we will all protect each other.”
Former San Francisco city attorney Nancy Tavernit, right, attends a protest at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Healthcare professionals and community members attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Nurse practitioner Sarah Malin-Roodman attends a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Healthcare workers and community members protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Retired nurse Gina Shepherd attends a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Registered nurse Hannah Pelletier, center, and others attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Community members Mary Larson and Simone Schmidt, from left, attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Healthcare professionals and community members attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Healthcare workers Wendy Bloom, Holly Alley and Sherry Alcock, from left, attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Registered nurse Michelle Trautman, and friend Hannah Pelletier, from right, attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Nurse practitioner and midwife Kate McGlashan, right, and others protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Healthcare workers and community members take part in a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
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Former San Francisco city attorney Nancy Tavernit, right, attends a protest at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents on Saturday has further escalated tensions in Minneapolis, a city now at the center of America’s heated battle over immigration enforcement.
Pretti’s killing occurred less than three weeks after Renee Good, another Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
A total of 3,000 ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents are now operating in the city, a force that is roughly five times the size of the Minneapolis Police Department, which has about 600 officers. A top ICE official said Sunday that federal agents had carried out roughly 3,400 arrests in the area, though he did not say how many arrestees had criminal records.
Here’s a look at how the Trump administration’s crackdown in Minneapolis has unfolded, and the major events that have placed the Midwestern city in the national and global spotlight.
Dec. 1: ICE launches crackdown in Minneapolis area
ICE launched “Operation Metro Surge” in the Minneapolis area in the first week of December, the latest in a string of Trump administration immigration crackdowns targeting Democratic communities. CBS News reported at the time that ICE planned to target, in part, those with deportation orders, including Somali immigrants, a population President Trump has harshly criticized.
Minnesota had drawn nationwide attention due to a litany of fraud schemes that allegedly bilked billions of dollars from the state’s federally funded public assistance programs. Mr. Trump attacked state officials over the fraud scandals — and zeroed in on the fact that most of the dozens charged in the schemes were of Somali descent.
The state has the nation’s largest Somali American population, the vast majority of them U.S. citizens, either by birth or through naturalization, according to census data.
Dec. 26: Viral video alleges fraud in Minnesota day cares
In a now-viral YouTube video posted the day after Christmas, conservative influencer Nick Shirley visited nearly a dozen day care facilities in the Minneapolis area that he alleged were receiving taxpayer money but not providing any services. The video, which has racked up nearly 4 million views on YouTube, was amplified by Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
State investigators later visited several of the day care centers highlighted in his video, and said nine of them were “operating as expected.” Eight of the facilities had children present during the inspection, and a ninth was not yet open for the day, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families said. One of the centers closed in early January.
Dec. 29: ICE dispatches agents to visit Minneapolis-area businesses
Days after the Shirley video was posted, agents from ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations branch were dispatched to conduct site visits to several dozen Minneapolis businesses. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they were overseeing a “massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud.”
Jan. 5: Thousands of additional federal agents are deployed
Roughly a week after the Shirley video, CBS News first reported that the Trump administration would be deploying an additional 2,000 federal immigration agents to the Twin Cities. The Department of Homeland Security subsequently called the deployment the largest operation in its history.
Federal agents stand guard as protestors gather outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 8, 2026.
Octavio JONES /AFP via Getty Images
The reinforcements included Border Patrol agents, including commander Gregory Bovino, who had previously led sweeping and controversial immigration enforcement operations in Charlotte, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Videos of the incident appear to show Good’s car was approached by multiple ICE officers, one of whom stepped in front of her vehicle. Good backed up, turned her wheel and began to drive her car forward, and the officer in front of the SUV, identified as Jonathan Ross, fired multiple shots.
Renee Good is seen in an image from cellphone video recorded by an ICE officer shortly before the shooting that killed her on Jan. 7, 2026.
Mr. Trump and members of his administration accused Good of intentionally hitting and trying to run over the agent, in what Noem described as an “act of domestic terrorism” that left the officer injured. Lawyers representing Good’s family have said Good and her partner were observing ICE operations. Analysis of video from the scene suggested Good may have been trying to steer away from the officers, not towards them.
Hours later, Mayor Jacob Frey sharply criticized ICE, telling the agency: “Get the f*** out of Minneapolis.”
Jan. 13: Prosecutors resign as they face pressure over Renee Good investigation
At least six career prosecutors in the Minneapolis U.S. Attorney’s Office resigned, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, as the office faced pressure to treat the investigation of Renee Good’s shooting as a case of assault on a federal officer as opposed to a civil rights case. At least six Justice Department prosecutors, most of them supervisors in the Civil Rights Division, said they were leaving the department soon after they learned there would not be a civil rights investigation into Good’s shooting.
An FBI supervisor in the Minneapolis field office’s public corruption squad later resigned, too, partly over pressure to “discontinue” the investigation of Good’s shooting, a source told CBS News.
Separately, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension withdrew from a probe into the shooting, saying the Justice Department had blocked state investigators from accessing evidence.
Jan. 15: ICE officer shoots man in leg during alleged shovel attack
Exactly a week after the killing of Good, DHS said another ICE officer shot a Venezuelan migrant he was trying to arrest in Minneapolis. The department said the migrant and two other Venezuelan men attacked the ICE officer with a snow shovel and broom handle. The officer, DHS said, shot the original target of the operation in the leg following a confrontation.
The Venezuelan man suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was later charged by the Justice Department and accused of assaulting the ICE officer, alongside another migrant involved in the altercation.
Jan. 15: Trump threatens to use Insurrection Act in Minneapolis
As protests over the immigration operations continued to flare, President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act if state officials didn’t “stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E.”
If the president decides to invoke the law, it could set the stage for the military to be deployed onto the streets of Minneapolis over the objections of state and local officials.
Later that week, some 1,500 active-duty soldiers in Alaska were placed on standby for a possible deployment to Minnesota, a defense official told CBS News.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department has weighed working with the Pentagon on a smaller scale in Minnesota, calling for military lawyers and forensic accountants to assist with fraud investigations in the state.
Jan. 16: Judge blocks agents from arresting or using pepper spray on peaceful protesters
A federal judge blocked DHS agents from arresting or using pepper spray and nonlethal munitions on peaceful protesters in Minnesota, after a lawsuit alleged federal agents “violently subdued” demonstrations against immigration enforcement.
Border Patrol agents deploy tear gas as they clash with people in a residential neighborhood on Jan. 12, 2026 in Minneapolis.
Scott Olson / Getty Images
The government has denied using excessively heavy-handed tactics, with Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin saying the agency “is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”
Jan. 16: Justice Department probes Frey, Walz and other Minnesota officials over alleged obstruction of immigration agents
On Jan. 16, CBS News disclosed a Justice Department investigation into allegations that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other local officials had conspired to impede federal immigration agents.
Walz and Frey denounced the probe, calling it political intimidation.
A week later, the Justice Department subpoenaed the offices of Walz, Frey and other top state and local officials, including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Jan. 18: Anti-ICE protesters disrupt church service, triggering Justice Department crackdown
A group of protesters angry over ICE’s presence in Minnesota entered a church in St. Paul on Jan. 18, disrupting a Sunday service. The protesters said they focused on Cities Church because a man listed as pastor at the church also appeared to work for ICE.
The protest, which prompted families with children and other congregants to leave the church, was widely condemned by conservatives and the Trump administration, which quickly vowed to launch a criminal investigation. The Justice Department also said it would bring charges against former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who was present in the church at the time. Lemon said he was reporting on the protest.
Three people were arrested on federal charges several days after the protest, but a federal magistrate judge refused to sign arrest warrants for five other people, including Lemon, sources told CBS News. Federal prosecutors asked an appeals court to order the lower court to issue the remaining arrest warrants, but a panel of appellate judges declined that request.
Jan. 18: U.S. citizen detained by ICE at gunpoint
Immigration agents forced their way into a house in St. Paul, Minnesota, and detained ChongLy “Scott” Thao — a Hmong American and U.S. citizen — at gunpoint without a warrant, The Associated Press reported.
Images of 56-year-old Thao being led out of his home in handcuffs, wearing only underwear, Crocs and a blanket draped over his shoulders in the snow, provoked anger toward ICE and renewed questions about the agency’s tactics. Thao was later released.
Image taken from video obtained by Reuters shows ChongLy “Scott” Thao being led from his home in St. Paul, Minnesota, by immigration agents on Jan. 18, 2026.. Thao, a U.S. citizen, was later released.
Reuters
DHS described the incident at Thao’s home as a “targeted operation” seeking two convicted sex offenders who it said lived at the same address, and alleged Thao matched the description of the suspect. Thao’s family has strongly disputed the claim that the suspects lived there.
A day later, two whistleblowers revealed ICE had quietly issued a memo in May 2025 authorizing its officers to forcibly enter people’s homes, without a judicial warrant, during operations targeting those with deportation orders. The directive marked a seismic shift from longstanding rules meant to comply with the Fourth Amendment, which has long been interpreted to mean law enforcement can’t enter private property without a judge’s warrant.
Jan. 20: ICE takes 5-year-old boy into custody with his father
On Jan. 20, a team of ICE officers in Minneapolis took into custody a man from Ecuador and his 5-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos. Videos and photos of the incident — depicting Liam wearing a blue bunny hat and his school backpack — garnered national attention, triggering questions about who the Trump administration was targeting in its mass deportation effort.
Liam Conejo Ramos, 5, is detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after arriving home from preschool no Jan. 20, 2026, in a Minneapolis suburb.
Ali Daniels / AP
Dueling narratives of the incident quickly materialized. Federal officials said ICE targeted the man’s father — not Liam — and accused him of being in the U.S. illegally. According to their version of events, Liam’s father tried to flee ICE and abandoned Liam in a car in the process. After arresting the father, the agency said ICE officers attempted to get Liam’s mother to take him but she refused to do so.
People who have spoken to the mother said she was scared to open the door to ICE, fearing she too would get arrested. Advocates and school officials accused ICE of trying to use Liam as bait — a claim ICE has denied.
Liam and his father are currently being held at a family detention center overseen by ICE in Texas. CBS News reported they have pending immigration cases and can’t be legally deported for now.
Jan. 24: Alex Pretti fatally shot by Border Patrol agents
Just weeks after Renee Good’s shooting, a second person was shot and killed by immigration agents: Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who worked as an ICU nurse.
Videos of the incident show Pretti standing in the middle of a Minneapolis street holding up his phone toward immigration agents. After he and several others were pushed back, he was wrestled to the ground by a group of agents and appeared to struggle as they tried to bring his arms behind his back. He was then shot multiple times.
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
Noem alleged that Pretti “approached” officers with a handgun and “reacted violently” when officers tried to disarm him, forcing the agent to fire “defensive shots.” Videos reviewed by CBS News do not show Pretti with a gun in his hand before the shooting, and one video from immediately beforehand, when officers were struggling with Pretti, appears to show an agent reaching into the scrum empty-handed and emerging with a gun. Local police officials have said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.
The Trump administration has defended the officer, with Bovino accusing Pretti, without citing evidence,of trying to “massacre law enforcement” during an operation to pursue a man who was in the country illegally and wanted for domestic assault. Local politicians have condemned the shooting, with Walz calling it “sickening.”
“These tactics are very obviously not safe, and it is generating a lot of outrage and fear in the community,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” adding that even if an investigation ultimately finds the shooting was lawful, it may not matter “because there is so much outrage and concern around what is happening in the city.”
In sub-zero temperatures, marchers protest the federal surge in immigration enforcement operations in downtown Minneapolis on Jan. 23, 2026.
Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images
Jan. 24: Bondi makes three demands to “bring back law and order”
In a three-page letter, Bondi pressed Walz to let the federal government review Minnesota’s voter rolls and welfare data, and to give ICE greater access to jails in the state.
“I am confident that these simple steps will help bring back law and order to Minnesota and improve the lives of Americans,” Bondi wrote in her letter to the governor Saturday, which accused state officials of “anti-law enforcement rhetoric” and “putting federal agents in danger.”
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon rejected the request, calling it “an outrageous attempt to coerce Minnesota into giving the federal government private data on millions of U.S. Citizens in violation of state and federal law.”
The Trump administration has long pushed authorities in Minnesota to cooperate more extensively with ICE’s requests to detain people and to let federal agents go into detention facilities. State corrections officials say they already cooperate with ICE, but cooperation varies at the county level.
In a Truth Social post a day later, Mr. Trump also called on local law enforcement to assist ICE, urging Walz, Frey and Democratic officials nationwide to “formally cooperate with the Trump Administration to enforce our Nation’s Laws, rather than resist and stoke the flames of Division, Chaos, and Violence.”
Jan. 25: Minneapolis police chief says, “This is not sustainable”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said “people have had enough” and urged leaders to “come together and figure this out.”
“This is the third shooting now in less than three weeks,” he said in an interview on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” “The Minneapolis Police Department went the entire year last year, recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds and hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn’t shoot anyone. And now this is the second American citizen that’s been killed, it’s the third shooting within three weeks.”
“This is not sustainable” for the city’s 600 officers, O’Hara said. “This is taking an enormous toll trying to manage all of this chaos on top of having to be the police department for a major city. It’s too much.”
Jan. 26: Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, some agents to leave Minneapolis, sources say
Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino and some of his green-uniformed agents are expected to soon leave the Minneapolis area, sources familiar with the move tell CBS News.
One of the sources said Bovino was relieved of his command in Minneapolis and is expected to return to California’s El Centro sector, where he served as the chief agent before the Trump administration deployed him to major American cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago.
The development follows intense backlash over how top federal officials, including Bovino, responded to the Pretti’s shooting. Bovino, citing no evidence, suggested over the weekend that Pretti intended to “massacre” federal agents. Some of the claims by Bovino and other officials were contradicted by witnesses and video from the scene.
News of Bovino’s impending departure came hours after President Trump said Tom Homan, the White House border czar, would be heading to Minnesota.
Saturday’s fatal shooting of a man by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis has renewed a debate over the Second Amendment and concealed carry laws. But this time, the political roles are reversed.
The right to bear arms has been a big Republican Party issue for decades. Conservative politicians have strongly defended the Second Amendment by successfully passing gun rights laws, such as concealed carry, in every state. Minneapolis shooting victim Alex Pretti was legally carrying a firearm. But top Trump administration officials say he did not have a right to do so.
“You cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It is that simple,” said Director Kash Patel.
However, President Donald Trump supported Kyle Rittenhouse after he shot and killed two men who tried grabbing his gun during protesters following a shooting involving police. Additionally, some Jan. 6 rioters were armed, and many Republicans supported a Missouri couple who pointed their firearms at protesters after George Floyd’s killing.
Alex Pretti seen in bystander video Saturday morning in Minneapolis, left, and Kyle Rittenhouse at the Turning Point USA America Fest 2021 event Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, in Phoenix.
(Bystander video)/(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The killing spurred notable tension with the GOP’s long-standing support for gun rights. Officials say Pretti was armed, but no bystander videos that have surfaced so far appear to show him holding a weapon. The Minneapolis police chief said Pretti had a permit to carry a gun.
Yet administration officials, including Noem and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have questioned why he was armed. Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” Bessent said that when he has attended protests, “I didn’t bring a gun. I brought a billboard.”
Such comments were notable for a party where support for the Second Amendment’s protection of gun ownership is foundational. Indeed, many in the GOP, including Trump, lifted Kyle Rittenhouse into prominence when the then-17-year-old former police youth cadet shot three men, killing two of them, during a 2020 protest in Wisconsin against police brutality. He was acquitted of all charges after testifying that he acted in self defense.
In the wake of Pretti’s killing, gun rights advocates noted that it is legal to carry firearms during protests.
“Every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms – including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their First Amendment rights,” the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said in a statement. “These rights do not disappear when someone is lawfully armed.”
In a social media post, the National Rifle Association said “responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is often critical of the White House, said “carrying a firearm is not a death sentence.”
“It’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right,” he said, “and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.
The second-ranking Justice Department official said he was aware of reports that Pretti was lawfully armed.
“There’s nothing wrong with anybody lawfully carrying firearms,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on “Meet the Press” on NBC. “But just make no mistake about it, this was an incredibly split-second decision that had to be made by ICE officers.”
“The height of hypocrisy which continues out of the White House, scrambling to find some reason to show why these agents were justified,” said former Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin.
Durkin says the hypocrisy surrounding the Minneapolis case will continue to fracture the Republican Party. While it took over 20 years to pass a restricted concealed carry law in Illinois, residents have a right to carry a loaded firearm to a protest. Minnesota shares the same rights.
“Mr. Pretti was not violating the law in terms of the Second Amendment. He had a protected right, and the law in Minnesota did not prohibit him from carrying a firearm,” said Rob Chadwick with the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.
But Chadwick, a former FBI agent, says the law gets dicey if the armed person inserts themselves in a law enforcement operation. USCCA and a growing number of Republicans are calling for a full investigation into Pretti’s death.
“When you take that step and get involved physically in a law enforcement action, it is incredibly dangerous and unintended consequences do happen,” Chadwick said.
Meanwhile, White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt says Trump absolutely supports the Second Amendment for law-abiding Americans, but not for people who impede immigration enforcement operations.
ABC Chicago Station WLS and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump on Monday said he is raising tariffs on South Korea because the nation has not yet approved a trade deal with the U.S. that the two countries agreed to last year.
Mr. Trump said in a social media post that the U.S. will increase its tariff on imports from South Korea from 15% to 25% and also hike levies on the country’s automobiles, lumber and pharmaceutical goods.
“South Korea’s Legislature is not living up to its Deal with the United States. President Lee and I reached a Great Deal for both Countries on July 30, 2025, and we reaffirmed these terms while I was in Korea on October 29, 2025. Why hasn’t the Korean Legislature approved it?” Mr. Trump said in announcing the stepped-up duties.
The two countries reached a deal on trade and security issues after Mr. Trump met his South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in Seoul last year. Under the agreement, the U.S. cut its tariffs on South Korean vehicles, car parts, pharmaceuticals and other products from 25% to 15%.
The pact also called for South Korea to invest $350 billion in several key U.S. sectors, including semiconductors, shipbuiling and biotech.
As of late 2025, South Korea was the U.S.’ eighth-largest trading partner, with total trade between the nations of $162 billion, according to Census Bureau data. The auto industry accounts for 27% of South Korea’s exports to the U.S., which takes in nearly half of the country’s car exports.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on the legality of the Trump administration’s country-specific tariffs, which the White House has imposed on dozens of nations under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.
If they are struck down, White House officials have said they can turn to other powers that effectively replace the sweeping levies.
A federal judge said there will be no decision on Monday in Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s bid to end to Operation Metro Surge.
The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are seeking a temporary restraining order in their lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials, arguing the influx of thousands of immigration agents to the state has caused “tremendous damage.”
Tricia McLaughlin, U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary, previously called the suit “baseless.”
Judge Kate Menendez, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, said at the end of Monday’s hearing she is going to take the time “to do everything I can to get it right” on whatever final decision she makes.
Menendez was just as skeptical of the rationale of the U.S. Department of Justice and Trump administration for the deployment and the number of federal officers deployed as she was the state’s arguments.
She started off by acknowledging the significance of Monday’s hearing and the weeks-long record of court filings in front of her, but said “most of the complexity … rests on the legal questions” of what Minnesota is asking for in the case and not on the actions of the Trump administration.
Judge Kate Menendez during the hearing in Minneapolis federal court on Jan. 26, 2026.
Cedric Hohnstadt
The plaintiffs’ arguments
Lindsey Middlecamp, an attorney with Ellison’s office, said Minnesota should not have to deal with this “unchecked invasion and occupation” another day, and asked Menendez to issue an immediate restraining order. Middlecamp argued that Operation Metro Surge, which she described as the largest federal deployment of law enforcement in U.S. history, has brought an “unprecedented force of masked agents” who are “racially profiling and inflicting violence” in their wake.
Ellison’s team also underlined the “pervasive and systematic retaliation against legal observers,” including the “indiscriminate use” of chemical irritants.
“They are finding any way they can to find and punish those who speak up against this misconduct,” Middlecamp said. “Harms are accruing every day.”
Menendez was skeptical of exactly what harms the state is alleging and under what past precedent case law can give her guidance to make a decision, and what exactly the solution is in this case.
Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter then alleged that DHS “designed” plans to force Minnesota to expend its resources.
“The difficulty with the case law on this situation is that this situation is unprecedented in the 250-year history of this country,” Carter said. “We have never had a federal government amass an army of 3,000 to 4,000 masked federal agents and sent them into a state to essentially stir the pot with conduct that is pervasive and includes widespread and illegal violent conduct.”
Menendez replied that while Minnesotans are in “shockingly unusual times,” she’s unsure if she has the leverage to stop it as a whole. She added that the “defining principle” of the argument is something that she is “struggling with here,” adding that the federal government has tremendous power in immigration enforcement.
Carter said he has seen a “crystallization” of efforts, citing Bondi’s “shakedown” letter.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and his legal team during the hearing in Minneapolis federal court on Jan. 26, 2026.
Cedric Hohnstadt
“‘You need to do these three things, and if you do it, we’ll get these officers off your streets,’” Carter said. “It’s a particularly damaging flavor of extortion.”
Carter cited the 10th Amendment in the Bill of Rights, which states the “powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
“This administration is not content with the rule of law,” Carter said. “This administration is not content with the courts working this stuff out.”
Carter said instead, the administration is putting “violence on the streets” of Minnesota.
“That has to violate the 10th Amendment,” Carter said.
Menendez said she wants to know the parameters of the ruling if there is one, adding there is “no question” the federal government can enforce immigration laws, but she questioned how she is supposed to be able to delineate between legal response and illegal response by the government.
“I don’t know what the line is,” Menendez said. “Is it the motivation, is it the scope, is it the illegality?”
“That kind of coercion … when Congress legislating that states are required to run background checks, if those violate the 10th Amendment, this has to. It’s beyond debate,” Carter said. “This is so far beyond the pale of legality, this is such an affront on the sovereignty of the state.”
Carter also underlined the unprecedented nature of the Trump administration’s attack on states “based on personal animosity.”
“The president of the United States said, he said, ‘Minnesota, your day of retribution is here.’ That is crazy,” Carter said. “How can that not violate equal sovereignty … If this is the way things go, if this is not stopped, what is going to happen to the next administration?”
Menendez ultimately pushed back on the state’s requests for a temporary restraining order.
“You’re asking me for a TRO. What does it say? What exactly do I do?” Menendez said.
Carter argued that the easiest, most straightforward thing is to end Operation Metro Surge.
“The whole Operation Metro Surge is an illegal means to an illegal ends, so just end it,” Carter said. “End the whole thing, is the appropriate remedy here.”
Menendez replied with a question.
“I can do all that?” she said.
The defense’s arguments
After a brief recess, Menendez asked U.S. Department of Justice attorney Andrew Warden if the explicit goal of Operation Metro Surge was to get Minnesota to change the policies listed out in Bondi’s memo — the contents of which did not sit well with Menendez.
Warden replied that “the goal of the surge is to enforce federal law.” Menendez then pushed again, asking if Minneapolis changed its policies and the state did the same thing, would the surge end?
“I can’t commit to a specific numbers of officers leaving,” Warden said.
Menendez, pushing again, asked: “But it would change? Aside from the fact that policies have been in effect for years, if they changed policies tomorrow, you’d leave?”
“The goal of the surge is to enforce federal law,” Warden said.
Menendez then asked how Bondi’s letter and written statements to the court do not demonstrate that the purpose of the surge is to affect the three changes the U.S. attorney general listed. Warden deflected, adding there was a need for “compensation” to supplement the “vacuum” left by the state and local leaders on immigration enforcement.
“It’s not like you can fix it overnight, let’s say they fix it in a week. If it is true you’re there because those policies had consequences, do you think it’s true that the motivation matters?” Menendez said. “Let’s imagine Bondi said we are here till you change your policies? Does that not violate the anticommandeering principle?”
“If there is a less of a need for federal law enforcement, then our involvement will change,” Warden said, but added it’s “undisputed that federal law enforcement can be here enforcing federal immigration law.”
Menendez then pressed Warden on Mr. Trump’s comments on “retribution.”
“I have not exactly seen that Truth Social recently,” Warden said, referring to posts from the president’s social media platform.
Next, Menendez mentioned Chicago, which had a DHS surge last year, and cited the lower number of federal law enforcement officers who were deployed to a much larger city to deal with potentially a much larger problem. She said there are “vastly more” law enforcement in Minnesota “than was even thought to be necessary in Chicago.”
“Is there a point in which it can no longer be depicted as a rational law enforcement response?” Menendez said.
Warden responded by citing Trump’s Article II powers, and said it would be “difficult to craft a remedy in light of that,” adding that he doesn’t “see how a court can say this amount of officers is the right amount” if requested by DHS.
Menendez said Bondi’s letter “concerns” her in describing the DOJ’s goals, because all three points are already being litigated in federal court in the state.
Brantley Mayers, a U.S. Department of Justice attorney, addresses federal Judge Kate Menendez as Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and his team looks on during the hearing on Jan. 26, 2025, in Minneapolis.
Cedric Hohnstadt
“Is the executive trying to achieve a goal through force that it cannot achieve through courts?” Menendez said.
“No, your honor,” Warden said, adding that “when there’s a vacuum in law enforcement” the federal government has gone in historically. Warden said he “doesn’t see how” operating on one front in Minnesota stops the law enforcement there from enforcing other laws.
Warden and his justice department team finished their arguments by telling Menendez they do not see the grounds for an injunction of any type and that there would be an “administrability problem” with pausing Operation Metro Surge in any respect, adding it would be “very difficult to implement.”
The plaintiffs got the final word before recess on Monday, with Minneapolis city attorney Sarah Lathrop saying relief is needed because it’s “clear that the intense situation on the ground” is not getting better.
“The court in its exercise can say ‘we’re stopping, we’re pausing,’” Lathrop said, adding there’s a chance of proceeding the case over the long term.
“You don’t have to draw the lines now,” Lathrop said.
The plaintiffs asked for Menendez’s order to return the federal law enforcement back to the status quo in the state to Nov. 30, the day before Operation Metro Surge began.
Lathrop said an order needs to come now to “take down the temperature.”
“Not all crises have a fix from a district court injunction,” Menendez said. “There are other things that are supposed to reign in this kind of conduct. It must be that work is being done elsewhere to bring an end to what is described here, not just counting on a single district court writing a single preliminary injunction.”
WASHINGTON — The killing of a second U.S. citizen by federal agents in Minneapolis is deeply complicating efforts to avert another government shutdown in Washington as Democrats — and some Republicans — view the episode as a tipping point in the debate over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
Senate Democrats pledged to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless changes are made to rein in the federal agency’s operations following the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse.
The Democratic defections threaten to derail passage of a broad spending package that also includes funding for the State Department and the Pentagon, as well as education, health, labor and transportation agencies. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) released a statement Monday calling on Republican Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to avert another shutdown by separating funding for DHS from the full appropriations package.
“Senate Democrats have made clear we are ready to quickly advance the five appropriations bills separately from the DHS funding bill before the January 30th deadline. The responsibility to prevent a partial government shutdown is on Leader Thune and Senate Republicans,” Schumer said.
The standoff also revealed fractures among GOP lawmakers, who called for a federal and state investigation into the shooting and congressional hearings for federal officials to explain their tactics — demands that have put unusual pressure on the Trump administration.
Senate Republicans must secure 60 votes to advance the spending measure in the chamber — a threshold they cannot reach on their own with their 53 seats. The job is further complicated by a time crunch: Lawmakers have until midnight Friday to reach a compromise or face a partial government shutdown.
Senate Democrats already expressed reservations about supporting the Homeland Security funding after Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed this month by federal agents in Minneapolis. But Pretti’s killing led Democrats to be more forceful in their opposition.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday he would oppose funding for the agencies involved in the Minneapolis operations, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
“I’m not giving ICE or Border Patrol another dime given how these agencies are operating. Democrats are not going to fund that,” he said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I think anyone who votes to give them more money to do this will share in the responsibility and see more Americans die in our cities as a result.”
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said in a statement last week that he would not “give more money to CBP and ICE to continue terrorizing our communities and breaking the law.” He reiterated his stance hours after Pretti’s killing.
“I will vote against any additional funding for Trump’s ICE and CBP while they act with such reckless disregard for life, safety and the Constitution,” Padilla wrote on social media.
While Senate Republicans largely intend to support the funding measure, some are publicly raising concerns about the Trump administration’s training requirements for ICE agents and calling for congressional oversight hearings.
“A comprehensive, independent investigation of the shooting must be conducted in order to rebuild trust and Congressional committees need to hold hearings and do their oversight work,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) wrote on social media. “ICE agents do not have carte blanche in carrying out their duties.”
Similar demands are being made by House Republicans.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, formally sought testimony from leaders at ICE, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying his “top priority remains keeping Americans safe.”
Homeland Security has not yet provided a public confirmation that it will attend the hearing, though Garbarino told reporters Saturday he has been “in touch with the department” and anticipates a full investigation.
Many Republican lawmakers expressed concern over federal officials saying Pretti’s killing was in part because of him having a loaded firearm. Pretti had a permit to carry, according to the Minneapolis police chief, and videos show him holding a cellphone, not brandishing a gun, before officers pushed him to the ground.
“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 of government,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote on social media.
Following pushback from the GOP, President Trump appears to be seeking ways to tone down the tensions. The president said Monday he had a “very good call” with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat he clashed with in recent weeks, and that they “seemed to be on a similar wavelength” on next steps.
If Democrats are successful in striking down the Homeland Security spending package, some hinted at comprehensive immigration reforms to follow.
California Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) detailed the plan on social media over the weekend, calling on Congress to repeal the $75 billion in supplemental funding for ICE in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year. The allocation roughly tripled the budget for immigration enforcement.
The shooting came as a slate of progressives renewed demands to “abolish ICE” and replace it with an agency that has congressional oversight.
Congress must “tear down and replace ICE with an agency that has oversight,” Khanna said. “We owe that to nurse Pretti and the hundreds of thousands on the streets risking their lives to stand up for our freedoms.”
Democrats also are focusing on removing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. This month Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) introduced a measure to impeach Noem, saying she brought a “reign of terror to Minneapolis.” At least 120 House Democrats supported the measure, according to Kelly’s office.
Party leaders recently called for an end to controversial “Kavanaugh stops,” which became central to ICE procedure following a September decision in Noem vs. Vasquez Perdomo by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. It allows for agents to stop people based on perceived race or for engaging in activities “associated with undocumented people,” like speaking a foreign language.
Progressives also have endorsed the reversal of qualified immunity protections, which shield agents from misconduct lawsuits.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) backed the agenda and called for ICE and Border Patrol agents to “leave Minnesota immediately.”
“Voting NO on the DHS funding bill is the bare minimum. Backing Kristi Noem’s impeachment is the bare minimum. Holding law-breaking ICE agents legally accountable is the bare minimum. ICE is beyond reform. Abolish it,” she wrote Sunday on social media.
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.
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.
Videos and witnesses of fatal Minneapolis shooting at odds with Trump administration’s statements – CBS News
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Videos and eyewitness accounts of a Border Patrol agent’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis are differing from Trump administration statements. Lana Zak has the latest.
School district officials in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, say their sense of security is shaken and their hearts shattered after four students from the district were recently taken by officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Columbia Heights Public School District says two children were taken on Tuesday, including a 17-year-old boy on his way to school. He was removed from his car and taken away.
Then in the afternoon, 5-year-old Liam Ramos was taken with his father while in their driveway after just arriving home from his preschool classroom. School officials say the child was used as bait to knock on the door and ask to be let in, letting officers see if anyone else was home.
“Why detain a 5-year-old? You can’t tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal,” said Superintendent Zena Stenvik.
The Department of Homeland Security later said that the child was not targeted by ICE, but was “abandoned” by his father. It said his father fled federal agents as they approached his vehicle, leaving the child. DHS said the father, whom they described as an illegal alien from Ecuador, was later taken into custody as other ICE officers stayed with the child.
School officials say there was an adult there who offered to take the child, but ICE did not allow that.
Federal officials said on Thursday that the boy and his father are together at an immigration processing center in Dilley, Texas.
An attorney for the Ramos family, Marc Prokosch, and the school district deny that Liam was abandoned by his father.
Prokosch said Liam and his father entered the U.S. legally from Ecuador and Liam’s father doesn’t appear to have a criminal record.
The Ecuadorian government said its consulate in Minneapolis contacted ICE as soon as it got word that Liam was being held, adding that it is “monitoring the situation of the child in order to safeguard their safety and well-being.”
Two weeks ago, a 10-year-old student in fourth grade was taken by ICE agents on her way to elementary school with her mother. During the arrest, the child called her father on the phone to tell her that ICE agents were bringing her to school. The father then came to the school to find out that both his daughter and wife had been taken.
School officials say both children and their parents are being held in a detention center in Texas. They say Liam Ramos’ family is following U.S. legal parameters and has an active asylum case with no order of deportation.
The school officials also said they don’t know what happened. They want the public to get involved as this is happening to students all across the state of Minnesota.
“We are asking to please reach out to your congressional representative to ask for an immediate and peaceful resolution to this occupation,” Stenvik said. “Please help us and other schools to again be a safe place where all belong and all succeed.”
The district also has an immigration lawyer to help figure out how to get the students back to Minnesota.
A series of informational signs about slavery were removed Thursday from the President’s House in Old City Philadelphia, a historic site operated by the National Park Service.
When the President’s House site at 6th and Market streets — once the home of Presidents George Washington and John Adams — was built in 2010, local activists urged the creators to include information about the enslaved people who lived at the home. Those stories made it into the final exhibit.
CBS News Philadelphia has reached out to the National Park Service and the mayor’s office for comment and is waiting to hear back.
CBS News Philadelphia
Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, told CBS Philadelphia that workers from the park service removed the signage.
“The decision to do this appears to be made because the President’s House Site memorialized the nine enslaved individuals that were held there against their will by President Washington and his wife Martha, and this is the only federal historic site that commemorates the history of slavery in America,” Steinke said.
In September, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at removing “ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives.” The order, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” specifically mentioned Philadelphia’s Independence National Historic Park, home of the Liberty Bell and the President’s House, as well as the Smithsonian Institution’s museums in Washington, D.C.
Burgum was given a deadline of July 4, 2026, to complete any changes to Independence National Historical Park — a day when the site will take center stage as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary.
The executive order directed Burgum to ensure memorials “do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”
Steinke said the exhibit “was created after years of scholarship and research to make sure we got the story right.”
“Today in a matter of minutes it was all ripped down, and presumably put away in storage for who knows how long. It’s a terrible day for American history, it’s a terrible day for Independence National Historical Park. It’s a terrible day for our city,” he said.
Steinke said he believes the stories will reemerge in other places in Philadelphia in the days and weeks to come.
“This is absolutely unacceptable,” Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle, who represents Philadelphia, said in a statement.
“Philadelphia and the entire country deserve an honest accounting of our history, and this effort to hide it is wrong,” the statement read.
Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said in a statement the removal of the slavery displays is an “effort to whitewash American history.”
“History cannot be erased simply because it is uncomfortable,” Johnson said in a statement in part. “Removing items from the President’s House merely changes the landscape, not the historical record.”
As of Thursday evening, the official park service website for the President’s House said, “The outdoor exhibits examine the paradox between slavery and freedom in the new nation.” It also notes that the exhibit includes the perspectives of “enslaved individuals.”
“Although the house was demolished in 1832, some of it’s stories are preserved through videos shared from the perspective of enslaved individuals who lived and worked here, and text panels shed light on everything from visiting tribal delegations to the work of the executive branch,” the website states.
President Trump led a signing ceremony for the founding charter of his “Board of Peace” on Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, as questions lingered over the body’s operations and scope months after it was announced as part of the administration’s peace planfor Gaza.
The president hinted Thursday at wider ambitions for the board, beyond the war-torn Palestinian territory, and said repeatedly that the board would work with the United Nations, though he offered little detail.
“I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza,” Mr. Trump said. “Once the board is formed we can do pretty much whatever we want to do … and we’re going to do it in conjunction with the United Nations.”
The board’s formation has faced headwinds from U.S. allies, many of which have yet to commit to participation.
Here’s what to know.
When was the Board of Peace created and why?
The Board of Peace was first announced in September as a key component of the Trump administration’s 20-point plan for long-term peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East. It was described in that plan as “a new international transitional body” that would “set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program … and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza.”
“This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment,” it said.
The White House said in a statement last week that the Board of Peace would play an essential role in fulfilling all 20 points of the peace plan, “providing strategic oversight, mobilizing international resources, and ensuring accountability as Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development.”
Who is leading the Board of Peace and overseeing it?
The Board of Peace is chaired by President Trump, who can hold that position until he resigns from it, according to a U.S. official.
According to the White House, the Board of Peace has an appointed “founding Executive Board” comprised of:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff
President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner
Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair
Billionaire financier Marc Rowan
World Bank Group president Ajay Banga
National security adviser Robert Gabriel
The White House says a separate group called the “Gaza Executive Board” will “help support effective governance and the delivery of best-in-class services that advance peace, stability, and prosperity for the people of Gaza.” That group is comprised of:
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff
President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner
Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan
Ali Al-Thawadi, strategic affairs minister in Qatari prime minister’s office
Egyptian intelligence chief General Hassan Rashad
Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair
Billionaire financier Marc Rowan
UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy
Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov
Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay
Sigrid Kaag, Dutch former deputy prime minister and ex-UN envoy
Senior advisers to the board who are tasked with leading day-to-day operations are listed as:
Aryeh Lightstone
Josh Gruenbaum
Who is invited to the Board of Peace?
CBS News confirmed that more than 50 countries were invited to join as of Jan. 21.
Among them is Russia, despite its continued assault on Ukraine and the Trump administration’s statement that the country poses such a threat to national security that the U.S. must acquire Greenland to counter it.
Mr. Trump said he sent an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said his country was still consulting with Russia’s “strategic partners” before making a decision on whether to commit to the peace board, The Associated Press reported Thursday.
Belarus, which has provided material support to Russia during its invasion of Ukraine, was also invited and its president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, accepted.
It isn’t clear what criteria the White House is using to decide which countries are being invited to join.
Who has joined the Board of Peace and who has declined?
The White House shared a list of participants ahead of the charter signing ceremony on Thursday, saying that in addition to the U.S., the following nations were taking part:
Bahrain
Morocco
Argentina
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belgium
Bulgaria
Egypt
Hungary
Indonesia
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kosovo
Mongolia
Pakistan
Paraguay
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Belgium, however, said Thursday it had not signed the charter.
“This announcement is incorrect,” Maxime Prévot, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, said. “We wish for a common and coordinated European response. As many European countries, we have reservations to the proposal.”
Israel and Canada were among the nations that previously announced they were accepting Mr. Trump’s invitation to join, although they did not appear on the White House list on Thursday.
None of the U.S.’ European allies had signed onto the board as of Thursday, with many voicing concern over Mr. Trump’s invitations to Putin and Lukashenko.
Britain declined to sign onto the peace board for now, U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.
“We won’t be one of the signatories today,” Cooper told the BBC Thursday. “Because this is about a legal treaty that raises much broader issues, and we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine.”
Norway and Sweden said Wednesday they were holding off, at least for now, due to concerns about the terms for joining.
A source familiar with the matter told CBS News earlier this week that France intended to decline due to concerns that the Board of Peace charter goes beyond the framework of Gaza and raises major issues, particularly regarding respect for the principles and structure of the United Nations.
In response, Mr. Trump said Monday night he would impose 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne if they did not join the Board of Peace. The White House has not responded to several inquiries as to whether or not the president was joking.
A French official said they have taken note of Mr. Trump’s statements and called the use of tariff threats to influence France’s foreign policy unacceptable and ineffective.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the board a work in progress, indicating an expectation by the Trump administration that membership would rise. “Many others who are going to join, you know, others either are not in town today or they have to go through some procedure internally in their own countries, in their own country, because of constitutional limitations, but others will join,” Rubio said in Davos on Thursday.
Is the Board of Peace intended to replace the United Nations?
President Trump said Thursday that the board would be committed to ensuring Gaza’s demilitarization, and hinted at wider ambitions for the group going forward.
He said the board would work “coupled with the United Nations” to create a “safer future for the world, unfolding before your eyes,” adding that the board would help to “end decades of suffering.”
The president also said the board can do “pretty much whatever we want to do” once it is formed, and that “we’re going to do it in conjunction with the United Nations.”
Earlier this week, Mr. Trump said the Board of Peace “might” replace the world’s primary global body.
“I mean, the U.N. just hasn’t been very helpful. I’m a big fan of the U.N. potential. But it has never lived up to its potential,” he said in a more than 90-minute press conference at the White House on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
But he added, “I believe you’ve got to let the U.N. continue because the potential is so great.”
In November, the United Nations passed a Security Council resolution that approved a “Board of Peace,” but with a focus limited only to Gaza.
The resolution welcomed the establishment of a Board of Peace “as a transitional administration with international legal personality” that would set the framework and coordinate funding for the redevelopment of Gaza.
The U.N. resolution more broadly endorsed the Trump administration’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, and authorized countries working with the Board of Peace to establish a stabilization force inside the Palestinian territory.
Is a financial contribution required to join?
A U.S. official confirmed a Bloomberg report that countries can contribute $1 billion to the Board of Peace to become permanent members instead of having a three-year membership. The official also said it isn’t a requirement to contribute to become a member.
The official told CBS News that any contributions will be used to rebuild Gaza and said “virtually every dollar” raised will be spent on the board’s mandate. There will be no “exorbitant salaries” or “administrative bloat,” the official said.
When it comes to financial disbursements and cash management, the board “will implement the highest financial controls and oversight mechanisms,” and funds will sit only in approved accounts at reputable banks, according to a U.S. official.
Senior Trump administration officials are forecasting a boom for the U.S. economy in 2026, driven by Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and historically large tax refunds.
“This quarter — the first quarter of 2026 — the United States of America’s $30 trillion economy will exceed 5% growth,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Fox Business on Wednesday, speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. By the end of 2026, he added, “You’re going to see 6% growth from the United States of America.”
That would mark the fastest economic growth since late 2021, when the economy grew at a blistering 7% annual pace after many businesses started reopening during the pandemic. Outside of a few post-pandemic statistical outliers, economic activity in the U.S. has historically moved at a far more measured pace, typically averaging between 2% and 3% per quarter on an annualized basis.
As outlined by Lutnick, the U.S. economy could get a lift this year if President Trump appoints a new Federal Reserve chair more inclined to lower the central bank’s benchmark interest rate, a move that could spur growth. Consumers could also have more money in their pockets from larger tax refunds under the Republicans’ tax and spending law, dubbed the “big, beautiful bill.”
“It’s possible — I would say it’s even likely on a one-off basis,” Mike Skordeles, head of U.S. economics at financial services company Truist, told CBS News of Mr. Lutnick’s forecast. But he added that maintaining that growth for a full year is “a really tough hill to climb.”
That’s because a number of economic headwinds are likely to persist into 2026 and could blunt any lift from lower borrowing costs and larger tax refunds, Skordeles said. Those include trade tensions stemming from Mr. Trump’s tariffs, as well as business uncertainty driven by the administration’s shifting economic policies.
“Those are not positives for the economy,” Skordeles told CBS News. “One of those reasons why we’re not growing faster is uncertainty.”
Truist forecasts 2.3% economic growth for all of 2026, while projections by other Wall Street economists range from 2% to 2.5%.
A White House official pointed out that Lutnick’s forecast is in line with the Atlanta Fed’s forecast for fourth-quarter GDP growth of 5.4%.
Risk of overheating
The latest readings on the U.S. economy show a jump in growth, with third-quarter GDP expanding at a 4.3% annualized rate, according to recent government data.
On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the economy is “likely accelerating,” citing an analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDPNow tool that pegs fourth-quarter GDP growth at 5.4%. The Commerce Department will announce fourth-quarter growth data on Feb. 20.
Yet there are risks to boosting the economy through interest-rate cuts and bigger tax refunds. Those same catalysts contributed to the searing inflation that drove the Consumer Price Index to a 40-year high in 2022.
“What the secretary was intimating earlier today, to me, that doesn’t unlock a bunch of growth — it unlocks a bunch of inflation,” Liz Pancotti, managing director of policy and advocacy at Groundworks, a liberal-leaning think tank.
Inflation still isn’t down to the Federal Reserve’s goal of a 2% annual rate, with the December CPI showing that prices rose at a 2.7% annualized rate. Food prices remain elevated, rising at an annual pace of 3.1% last month due to sharply higher costs of staples like beef and coffee.
“It’s not a single silver bullet that if we just lowered the [Fed’s interest] rate, it would make everything magically better,” Skordeles said. “You start giving these tax incentives, and you put more money in people’s pockets — it’s the classic ‘too many dollars chasing too few goods’.”
Would workers benefit?
Consumers remain generally dour about the U.S. economy, with recent CBS News polling finding that Americans want Mr. Trump to focus more on lowering prices.
While a stronger economy can translate into higher wages in many industries, workers are taking home a smaller slice of the economic pie. The labor share of the nation’s GDP slid to its lowest point since 1947, dropping to 53.8% in the third quarter of 2025, according to Bloomberg News.
Even sharply higher economic growth might not do much to assuage public frustration with the cost of food, rent and other affordability issues, Pancotti said, pointing to the example of the strong post-pandemic growth under President Joe Biden. While GDP grew at a 7% pace for two quarters in 2021, Americans were more focused on pocketbook issues such as higher grocery and housing costs, she added.
“Joe Biden had [strong GDP growth], and yet his marks on the economy were low, given that people want lower prices,” she added. “They want to be able to afford their grocery bills and send their kids to summer camp.”
