March Held in Minneapolis for Border Patrol Shooting Victim
A community march was held in Minneapolis to mark four weeks since the fatal Border Patrol shooting of Alex Pretti. Participants called for transparency and a thorough, independent investigation into the incident. The shooting occurred near the Canadian border, and details from the official internal review remain limited.
- Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. He was shot and killed on January 24, 2026, in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, less than two miles from his home. - The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds. The shooting was the third involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January 2026. - The two officers involved were identified as U.S. Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, who were in the city as part of a federal immigration enforcement dragnet called "Operation Metro Surge." - The Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti approached officers with a handgun, but bystander video analysis indicates an agent removed a gun from Pretti's waistband after he was wrestled to the ground and just before shots were fired. - At the time of the incident, agents were attempting to detain an Ecuadorean immigrant they described as having a "significant criminal history"; however, state records showed only past misdemeanor traffic offenses. - The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is investigating the shooting. However, Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has stated that the FBI is refusing to share evidence related to the case. - The shooting followed the January 7 killing of another Minneapolis resident, Renée Good, by an ICE agent, which had already sparked major protests in the city. - Demonstrators and some lawmakers are demanding the complete removal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota and systemic changes to ICE operations.
