Minneapolis in Court - Two Dead, Videos, a State Under Pressure

In Minneapolis, a deadly operation has turned into a far-reaching political and legal confrontation. Thousands of people marched through the city on Sunday to express their anger over the death of a local resident. “Shut it all down,” they chanted, while many carried signs demanding justice for 37-year-old Alex Pretti. Pretti was shot and killed by a Border Patrol officer on Saturday morning. The protests were directed not only at this single incident, but at an escalation that has now claimed two lives.

Parallel to the demonstrations, a federal court is addressing the question of whether the federal government’s hard-line approach in Minnesota must at least temporarily be halted. A federal judge is hearing arguments on whether the immigration operations that led to the fatal shootings should be suspended or restricted. The plaintiffs are the state of Minnesota as well as the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They had already sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer. The death of Alex Pretti has given the case new urgency.

At the center of the dispute is the massive expansion of operations since December 1. With Operation Metro Surge, additional federal officers were deployed to Minnesota, primarily to the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Since the original lawsuit, the state and the cities have significantly expanded their demands. Their goal is to restore the conditions that existed before the operation began. Specifically, they are calling for a reduction in the number of federal officers to the previous level and for clear limits on the scope of the operations.

A federal attorney confirmed in court that more than 3,000 federal officers are involved in the latest immigration offensive in Minnesota. According to the Justice Department’s representative, at least 2,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and at least 1,000 Border Patrol agents are part of the operation. He said he would later provide the court with an exact figure. Representatives of Minnesota and the Twin Cities had asked the judge to temporarily halt the aggressive enforcement policy, arguing that it had led to widespread unrest. Since the start of the offensive, two Minnesota residents have been shot and killed during immigration enforcement actions. The judge asked why such a large number of officers was necessary. The federal attorney replied that the high number was due to standard procedures under which immigration officers prepare for such operations and often gather in parking lots and staging areas. In response, local authorities have taken steps to prevent city-owned parking facilities from being used for these operations, after similar measures had already been adopted in other cities.

“Enough. It is unacceptable that American citizens are killed by federal officers for exercising their God-given and constitutional rights to protest their government. At best, these federal immigration operations represent a complete failure of coordination of appropriate public safety measures, policing, training, and leadership.” (Phil Scott, Republican Governor of Vermont)

In court, it became clear how tense the situation has become. Representatives of the state said conditions on the streets were so serious that immediate intervention was necessary. If the operations were not stopped, they argued, no one could maintain trust in the future course of the republic. The opposing side was expected to respond later. The judge posed a central question that goes to the heart of the conflict: Where is the line between permissible law enforcement and actions that violate the Constitution. Chicago

This question is further sharpened by video footage from the scene that contradicts the federal government’s official account. Leading figures from police organizations have expressed alarm over the renewed use of deadly force. Experts on the use of force criticize the justifications coming from Washington and point out that footage from bystanders contradicts claims that Pretti triggered the situation or posed an imminent threat. So far, no public evidence has been presented to support the serious allegations that he intended to cause lethal harm.

Politically, the situation continues to escalate. Democratic senators announced that they would not support a new funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. This increases the likelihood of a partial government shutdown by the end of the week. At the same time, unrest is also growing within Republican ranks. An increasing number of lawmakers are calling for a comprehensive investigation into the immigration operations in Minnesota. Several have said that the top priority must be public safety, combined with transparency about how the authorities are operating.

Prominent voices from within the Republican camp are also speaking out. Former Vice President Mike Pence called for a full and transparent investigation into the deadly operation. The images are deeply troubling, he wrote, and immediate clarification is essential. The public has a right to safe streets, to the enforcement of the law, and at the same time to the protection of constitutional rights, including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. Only in this way, he said, can order and liberty coexist.

The attorney for Renee Good’s family said after the death of Alex Pretti that it was shocking, deeply disturbing, and heartbreaking that another person had been killed. He spoke of the need for a fundamental reset. Immigration authorities could leave Minneapolis, he said. The residents of the state could not. He called for a complete and immediate end to the operations in the city.

The political consequences extend further. A Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota, Chris Madel, withdrew his candidacy. He described the immigration operation as a complete disaster and said he could not support the national party leadership’s announced policy of retaliation against the citizens of his state. Nor did he want to be part of a party that pursued this course. He reported speaking with numerous US citizens who had been detained in Minnesota solely because of their skin color. Meanwhile, other Republican governors demonstratively lined up behind the Department of Homeland Security. The governor of Florida reaffirmed his administration’s support for the immigration operations and pointed to cooperation agreements with federal authorities. In his state, nearly 20,000 people without valid immigration status had been detained in the past year. He did not mention the death of Alex Pretti.

The president himself remained unmoved. After the incident, he announced that he would send his border coordinator to Minnesota. The coordinator would report directly to him and was described as tough but fair. At the same time, the president dismissed the criticism and blamed Democratic politicians for what he described as the resulting chaos. On social media, he wrote that they had encouraged people to interfere with enforcement actions and called on local officials to hand over people without legal status to federal officers. At the same time, pressure from Congress continues to grow. The chair of the relevant committee demanded testimony from the leadership of several federal agencies. Other lawmakers and senators joined the call. The differing reactions reveal a party visibly struggling with how to respond to the deadly operations.

Additional criticism is directed at the Department of Justice. It has been noted that no independent investigation into possible civil rights violations has yet been initiated. There have also been attempts to hinder state authorities from conducting their own review of the operation. This reinforces the impression that open questions are not being clarified, but deflected.

In Minneapolis itself, the atmosphere remains tense. Grief and anger are closely intertwined. People on the streets are demanding justice and consequences. They do not see the two deaths as coincidences, but as the result of a policy that deliberately relies on escalation. The court must now decide whether the federal government’s actions will at least be temporarily halted. What is being argued there goes far beyond a single operation. It is about state power, about control, and about how many deaths it takes before a line is drawn.