February 3, 2026 — Republicans and Democrats called for a thorough investigation into the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on a Saturday during a protest. It’s the second ICE-related death of a U.S. citizen in the city as the Trump administration cracks down on immigration.

Andrew Garbarino, Republican chair of the House homeland security committee, wants to hear from leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, stating his main priority is keeping Americans safe.

Widely circulated videos of Pretti's shooting, who was reportedly permitted to carry a concealed gun, show the ICU nurse in the moments before his death.

Trump officials stated that Pretti was wielding a weapon and that the agents felt their lives were threatened.

However, no footage shows Pretti with the gun; videos show him holding his cell phone before approaching officers.

Moments after he approaches, Pretti is sprayed with a chemical deterrent and then tackled to the ground.

Officers are shown surrounding Pretti, who is on the ground. One officer appears to reach toward Pretti’s lower back and step away with what looks to be a gun. A second later, a shot rings out, and then nine more shots are fired.

Pretti’s death, meanwhile, has brought the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, to the forefront of the debate.

In a statement released after the shooting, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said if a U.S. citizen approaches officers with a weapon, federal officers “will be legally justified in shooting you.”

The National Rifle Association, the most powerful pro-gun group, posted Essayli’s comments were “dangerous and wrong,” and that “Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it. But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”