Federal agents have shot and killed a 37-year-old man in Minneapolis, the second such death in less than three weeks. The victim, identified as Alex Pretti, a nurse at the Department of Veterans Affairs, was killed on Saturday morning on Eat Street, a corridor of largely immigrant-owned restaurants and businesses. Witnesses said observers were videotaping the agents' actions at the time.
The killing came a day after tens of thousands of people in the city took part in an economic blackout and protest march, demanding an end to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) occupation and justice for Renee Good, who was shot dead by a federal agent on 7 January. Local leaders have repeatedly called for ICE to leave Minnesota, and 'ICE OUT' signs are common on front lawns.
Governor Tim Walz, speaking at a press conference after Saturday's killing, expressed fury: 'You ask us for peace, and we give it, and we get shot in the face on the streets coming out of a donut shop.' He also voiced doubts about the federal response, saying, 'Do I have any confidence Donald Trump will do the right thing? No, I don’t have a lot of confidence Donald Trump will do the right thing. I do have a lot of confidence that the majority of the American people will do the right thing.'
In a now familiar pattern, the federal government placed blame on the victim before completing an investigation, while Donald Trump issued a statement alleging fraud in the state. Local officials immediately cast doubt on the federal account, citing videos of the scene, and insisted that local law enforcement be involved in the inquiry. At the scene, dozens of federal agents repeatedly fired chemical irritants at demonstrators, and some people were arrested.
Residents and observers describe a city under siege, with thousands of federal agents deployed. Some people, including US citizens, have barely left home for weeks, fearing detention regardless of immigration status. Neighbours have organised mutual aid to deliver food and supplies, parents patrol outside schools, and children as young as two and five have been detained. Rachel Sayre, director of Minneapolis’s emergency management department, who has worked in conflict zones including Yemen and Ukraine, said: 'What I’ve seen here is what I’ve seen there – a powerful entity violently and intentionally terrorising people.'
A network of volunteer observers monitors ICE activity around the clock, but agents have grown increasingly hostile, pulling them from cars and dousing them with chemical irritants. One GoFundMe campaign is raising funds for protective equipment such as goggles, gas masks and bulletproof vests so observers can continue their work. Walz warned that the situation will not end without public pressure: 'This will end when enough Americans say this will end.'
