Live: Fatal ICE Operation in Minneapolis

Link to article: Shots in the Crowd - Minneapolis on the Brink of Escalation - This Was Murder

This image published by the New York Times is a warning, a reminder that an innocent person was shot and denied medical care. This image is a warning of what right-wing populism and fascism look like. There is only one word for it: corpse exploitation. Leichenfledderei

The anger is everywhere

On every corner of the city, something hangs in the air. The initial shock is slowly giving way to a palpable anger, dense, restless, impossible to overlook. And yet more than ever, one thing applies: this anger must not turn into riots.

A witness in Minneapolis

A children’s face painter has submitted a sworn affidavit under penalty of perjury in which she describes what happened this morning on Nicollet Avenue. At around 8:50 a.m., she heard whistles. In her neighborhood, that means: ICE is there. She has been documenting their operations for some time, so she drove out with a camera. On site, she saw that ICE had set up a vehicle convoy around the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet. About 15 observers were already there, filming. Agents surrounded cars, smashed windows, stopped vehicles up and down the street. She parked, began filming, and stood in the street next to a man who was directing traffic, phone in hand. An agent ordered her to move back.

She moved onto the sidewalk. The man remained in the street and continued filming. Then the situation escalated. An ICE agent began threatening other observers with pepper spray. The man with the phone moved closer to support them, with only his camera in his hand. She did not see him reach for or hold a weapon. An agent shoved a woman to the ground and began spraying everyone in the face. The man raised his hands above his head and was sprayed again, then pushed away. After that, he tried to help the woman get up. More agents arrived, grabbed him while he was still helping, dragged him to the ground. She says she did not see him touch any of them - he was not even turned toward them. Four or five agents held him down. And then they shot him. Again and again.

She was about five feet away. “He only wanted to help. I did not see a weapon on him. They threw him to the ground. And then they just started shooting him.” She filmed everything. It is Exhibit 1. She has read the statement from the Department of Homeland Security and says it is false. He did not approach the agents with a weapon. He approached them with a camera. He was trying to help a woman get up. Now she is afraid to go home. Hours after she saw a man shot dead directly in front of her, she heard that agents were looking for her. Other witnesses may have been detained and taken to the Whipple building. She concludes with the words: “He lost his life for these values.” Signed under penalty of perjury in Hennepin County, Minnesota. January 24, 2026. Today.

Huge Crowd Gathers in Whittier Park

In Minneapolis, large crowds have gathered in Whittier Park, just a few blocks from the site where federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti. Hundreds of people came together to stand at the place where the fatal shot was fired, and more and more people are joining those already gathered.

At the site of the fatal shooting, hundreds of people gathered on Saturday evening for a silent vigil for Alex Jeffrey Pretti. Candles were burning, flowers lay on the asphalt, many stood together in silence as darkness fell over the scene. The atmosphere was calm but heavy, carried by grief and a growing exhaustion over what threatens to sink in as normality. People from the city and surrounding communities came together not in protest, but to show presence. Some nearby businesses remained open, offering warmth, water, coffee, a brief shelter from the cold. Words were spoken quietly, often not at all. The question of why this could happen again hung unspoken in the air. Minneapolis was mourning not only a man, but the sense of safety that continues to erode.

The political response followed a few hours later in Washington. Several Democratic senators announced that they would not approve a new funding package for the Department of Homeland Security. The trigger is the fatal operation in Minneapolis, which has further damaged trust. After Jacky Rosen, Catherine Cortez Masto also declared that she would approve no funds that would allow this agency to continue operating in its current form. Other voices joined in. This increases the risk that the government could once again face a partial shutdown. What long served as a tactical pressure tool is now being openly drawn as a consequence. The message is clear: after this weekend, there is to be no return to business as usual.

The situation remains extremely tense as protests continue throughout the neighborhood and new people keep arriving.

Gun Rights Group Questions Official Account

After the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minneapolis, a gun rights organization has also spoken out and raised clear doubts about the account given by federal authorities. The group stated that many key facts remain unresolved, and that there is so far no evidence of any intent to attack officers. It is calling for a comprehensive investigation at both the state and federal levels. At the same time, the organization emphasized that peaceful citizens in Minnesota have the right to own and carry firearms, including during protests or while exercising their constitutional rights. This right does not automatically end simply because someone is legally armed. Federal authorities had stated that Pretti was armed and had resisted disarmament. Video footage from bystanders, however, shows no visible use of a weapon. The Minneapolis police chief also confirmed that Pretti possessed a valid permit to carry. This further deepens the contradiction between the official account and what is publicly visible.

National Guard Deployed in Minneapolis

The National Guard is already on the ground in Minneapolis. Governor Tim Walz has activated the troops, which are being deployed both at the site of the shooting and at a federal building where protests and tense confrontations have been taking place for days. The National Guard is supporting local police there in securing the situation.

National Guard Moves In - Minneapolis Remains on Edge

After the fatal shot fired by a federal agent in Minneapolis, the governor of Minnesota has activated the National Guard. The decision was made in light of growing protests following the death of 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, who was shot by a Border Patrol agent. Pretti, an intensive care nurse working in an intensive care unit, was identified by his parents. The agent who fired the shot has been in service for eight years. The National Guard is now supporting local police both at the scene of the shooting and at a federal building where tense confrontations have been taking place for days. The incident occurred just over one mile from the location where Renee Good was killed in an immigration enforcement operation in early January. Since then, Minneapolis and St. Paul have been under continuous protest. With the activation of the National Guard, the situation reaches a new level of escalation. The city is once again experiencing how quickly deadly violence, political decisions, and public anger become intertwined.

ICE over Minnesota - Hegseth Escalates Publicly

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has demonstratively positioned himself behind the immigration agency ICE and launched a frontal attack on Minnesota’s political leadership. In a post on the platform X, he thanked the officers involved and declared that they have one hundred percent support. At the same time, he sharply attacked those responsible in the state and insulted demonstrators in the streets. He formulated his central message unambiguously: ICE is more important than Minnesota. The wording marks a further sharpening of the tone from Washington amid an already tense situation. The statement is particularly explosive because Hegseth himself was born and raised in Minnesota. While protests, mourning, and demands for clarification are growing on the ground, the federal government is opting for open confrontation. Observers see this not as an attempt at calming the situation, but as a deliberate signal to place federal authorities above local politics and public criticism.

Rosen Draws a Red Line on ICE Funding

Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada has announced that she will vote against any budget legislation that includes funding for the immigration agency ICE. The decision followed the fatal shooting by a federal agent in Minneapolis and marks a clear escalation of the internal party debate. Rosen, who is considered a moderate and who in the past has repeatedly voted with Republicans, speaks of an abuse of power that can no longer be tolerated. The actions of ICE in Minneapolis and in other parts of the country are un-American and must not become normal. In her view, a clear political limitation of the agency is overdue. The move comes at a time when the Senate is debating a comprehensive funding package that also includes the Department of Homeland Security and is intended to prevent an impending government shutdown. With her announcement, Rosen increases pressure on her own party and signals that there will be no approval without consequences.

Top Democrat Calls for Noem’s Removal from Office

The highest-ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, Bennie Thompson, has openly called for the removal from office of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The trigger is the contradictory and, in his view, whitewashing statements by the administration regarding the fatal operation by federal agents. Thompson accused the Trump administration of respecting fundamental rights only when it is politically convenient and spoke of a concept of the state that is incompatible with democratic principles. He was particularly critical of the selective interpretation of freedom of speech and gun rights. At the same time, he called on the Democratic caucus in the U.S. Senate to withhold approval of a recently passed funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. Thompson described the events as un-American and stated that the House of Representatives must immediately initiate steps to remove Noem from office.

At the site of the shooting, people have begun to lay flowers and candles. More and more people are gathering.