A deepening political crisis is unfolding in Minnesota as state leaders demand the immediate withdrawal of federal immigration officers following a second fatal shooting by US agents in Minneapolis. The incident, which occurred on Saturday, has ignited fresh protests and exposed severe fractures between state and federal authorities.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the shooting as “horrific” and insisted that state investigators take charge of the case, declaring, “The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation.” However, according to Associated Press reports, the Department of Homeland Security blocked state investigators from accessing the crime scene despite having a signed warrant.
The DHS presented a starkly different account of the incident, characterizing it as an attack on federal personnel. Officials claimed a Border Patrol agent acted in self-defense after 37-year-old Alex Pretti—an ICU nurse at a VA hospital licensed to carry a concealed weapon—approached agents with a handgun and resisted disarmament attempts. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Pretti as intending to “inflict maximum damage” while White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller labeled him an “assassin.”
This narrative conflicts directly with verified bystander footage reviewed by Reuters, which shows Pretti holding a phone rather than a firearm while attempting to assist protesters who had been pushed to the ground by immigration agents.
The shooting represents the second such incident in weeks, following the January 7th death of Renee Good, where similar discrepancies emerged between federal accounts and cellphone evidence. A recent Hennepin county medical examiner’s report classified Good’s death as a homicide.
President Donald Trump escalated tensions by accusing Governor Walz and Minneapolis officials of “inciting Insurrection” through their “pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric.” The administration has deployed approximately 3,000 federal agents to Minneapolis as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown backed by $170 billion in funding through 2029.
Former President Barack Obama broke silence to call Pretti’s death a “heartbreaking tragedy” warning that “many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.” He urged the administration to collaborate with local officials “to avert more chaos.”
Academic experts warn the standoff may have far-reaching consequences. Professor Chen Hong of East China Normal University predicts the conflicting law enforcement narratives will harden positions and intensify social tensions, potentially spilling into Congressional battles over immigration policy, homeland security funding, and law enforcement oversight that could trigger government shutdowns.
Professor Li Haidong of China Foreign Affairs University notes that the Republican-led federal government’s immigration crackdown in a Democratic stronghold known for its diverse immigrant culture appears designed to reshape the local voter base through mass deportations. These policies have severely disrupted Minnesota’s social fabric and cultural ecosystem, generating widespread public discontent that promises to make immigration a central battleground in upcoming midterm elections.