Minnesota politicians react to shooting of armed man by federal agents in Minneapolis

Democrats responded by calling for abolishing ICE and demanding that the agency leave Minnesota, while Republicans criticized state leaders for encouraging people to engage in reckless behavior.

By
Hayley Feland
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a press conference Saturday on the shooting. (Minnesota Department of Public Safety/YouTube)

An armed man was killed by federal agents during a confrontation in Minneapolis on Saturday morning amid ongoing immigration enforcement operations.

The incident occurred during a targeted operation by DHS law enforcement officers in the area of East 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue. The deceased individual has since been identified as 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the man was believed to be “a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”

Democrats across the state reacted to the shooting by condemning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and demanding they leave the state.

“Donald Trump and all your lieutenants who ordered this ICE surge: watch the horrific video of the killing today,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who recently completed initial steps to run for Minnesota governor.

“The world is watching. Thousands of citizens stopped and harassed. Local police no longer able to do their work. Kids hiding. Schools closed. Get ICE out of Minnesota NOW. And Republicans in congress: Stop your silence and stop being complicit.”

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller defended the agents in a post on X, responding to Klobuchar by saying her response is “fanning the flames of insurrection.”

Former Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips raised eyebrows when he wrote: “For years I quietly mocked 2A defenders who argued arms were necessary to defend American rights against a tyrannical government. Today I apologize, because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., described the shooting as “an execution by immigration enforcement” in a post on X.  “I am absolutely heartbroken, horrified, and appalled that federal agents murdered another member of our community. It is beyond shameful these federal agents are targeting our residents instead of protecting them … ICE and CBP must leave Minnesota immediately,” Omar said.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is running for U.S. Senate, echoed calls for the agents to leave the state. “Again the world is waking up to horrific news of a killing at the hands of Donald Trump’s untrained federal agents,” she said.

Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., who is also seeking a Senate seat, directly addressed the president, saying, “Donald Trump: Your violent, untrained, lawless ICE agents are out of control in Minnesota and across the United States. We don’t need you and your federal agents. ICE must leave Minnesota now.”

State Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, said ICE “needs to be abolished immediately” while calling Saturday’s shooting “a flat out execution.”

Gov. Tim Walz said he contacted the White House and urged the president to “end this operation.”

“Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now,” said Walz. During a press conference Saturday, he also declared that the federal agents in Minnesota are “not law enforcement,” yet he is demanding that the state lead the investigation into the shooting.

Meanwhile, Republicans responded by criticizing the actions of the state’s Democratic leadership.

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said the death was tragic. “Unfortunately there are still too many political leaders urging direct confrontation including the attempted disruption of law enforcement operations and throwing of dangerous objects,” Demuth said.

David Hann, the former chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota and a current candidate for U.S. Senate, agreed.

“Democrats must stop encouraging citizens to put themselves in harm’s way by protesting ICE agents, recording arrests, following officers, attending trainings on how to resist, and being out in the streets while these dangerous operations are performed,” he said. “Minnesotans are not political pawns — their lives and families matter. It’s past time for Walz, Flanagan, Frey, and the rest of our elected Democrat leaders to work with the federal government and urge citizens to stay safely out of the way while criminals are removed from our streets. Two deaths is two too many.”

U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya said Minnesota’s “so-called leaders have totally failed us.”

“Minnesota desperately needs law and order. We need peace on our streets. But Tim Walz and Jacob Frey only heighten tensions further. They block our local law enforcement from working alongside federal agents to keep the peace. And they rush to blame the officers before even the basic facts are known,” she wrote.

“It is incredibly irresponsible. It is exactly the poisonous mindset that keeps fueling this chaos.”

President Donald Trump also responded, asking that people let ICE agents do their jobs.

“The mayor and the governor are inciting insurrection with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric,” Trump said. “Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States of America.”

 

Hayley Feland

Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.

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