The shot came without warning — and a quiet Minneapolis community was left searching for answers. In the early morning hours of January 24, 2026, 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents during a federal enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. His death sent shockwaves through the city, igniting vigils, protests, and fierce debate over the use of force by federal immigration authorities.
Pretti was well known in his community. Friends, family, and coworkers described him as a compassionate caregiver at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System — someone whose eyes never looked away from a patient in pain and whose colleagues remember him as kind and dedicated. He had a legal concealed-carry permit and no serious criminal record, and he was also involved in peaceful activism opposing federal immigration policies.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting have been intensely disputed. Federal officials initially claimed that Pretti approached officers with a firearm during an enforcement action tied to the broader immigration crackdown known as Operation Metro Surge and resisted attempts to disarm him. However, multiple news outlets and witness reports indicate that bystander video appears to show Pretti unarmed, holding only a phone, and attempting to assist another person before being pepper-sprayed, subdued, and shot. Many neighbors and advocates have questioned the accuracy of the official account and cited the footage as reason for an independent investigation.
In the days after his death, Minnesotans gathered across the city to honor Pretti’s memory with candlelight vigils outside the VA hospital and in neighborhood parks. At these gatherings, speeches weren’t just about policy and enforcement tactics — they were about a real person whose life was devoted to caring for others, and whose death made the broader immigration enforcement dispute deeply personal for many residents.
Political leaders soon clashed openly over the incident. Local officials, including Minneapolis’ mayor and Minnesota’s governor, demanded transparency and independent investigations into the role of federal agents, citing concerns about accountability and the treatment of civilians. Some lawmakers have threatened to withhold funding from federal agencies unless new oversight measures are enacted in light of the Minneapolis shooting and other related deaths. Meanwhile, national officials defended the actions of the officers involved and reiterated that agents were attempting to carry out federal law enforcement duties.
Pretti’s death marks a troubling escalation in tensions between federal immigration enforcement operations and local communities. He was one of several people killed by federal agents during similar operations in January 2026, and his killing, particularly given his role as a healthcare professional, has become a rallying point for critics of aggressive enforcement tactics.
Behind every press release, investigation, and political debate stands a grieving family and an empty chair at the dinner table — a reminder that public policy decisions are measured not just in statutes, but in the lives of real people who served their communities.
