A second fatal shooting by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis has provoked widespread anger and renewed scrutiny of the agency's tactics. Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot multiple times in the back after being wrestled to the ground and pepper-sprayed, according to mobile phone footage.
The shooting occurred as Pretti attempted to assist a fellow protester who was being manhandled by agents. The video shows Pretti holding a phone, not a gun, before he was overpowered, contradicting claims by senior members of the Trump administration that he was armed. The incident follows the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a US citizen and mother of three, by an ICE agent earlier this month during a protest in the same city.
In the wake of the Good shooting, a White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, had reaffirmed that agents enjoy “federal immunity” for their actions. Critics argue that such statements encourage a culture of impunity. After Pretti’s death, federal officers reportedly prevented state investigators from accessing the scene.
The killings have intensified a backlash against ICE’s paramilitary enforcement methods. A recent New York Times poll found that nearly two-thirds of respondents disapproved of ICE tactics. Some senior Republicans have called for a proper investigation into Pretti’s death, and the future funding of ICE has been questioned. President Trump, who initially described Pretti as a “gunman,” later said his administration was “reviewing everything.”
The unrest highlights a growing divide over immigration enforcement and the use of force by federal agents. An FBI agent reportedly resigned after being blocked from investigating the Good shooting, signalling internal dissent. As protests spread, there are calls for Congress to act to rein in the agency’s conduct.
