ICE has suffered five major blows in the wake of Alex Pretti’s death at the hands of federal officers.
The Trump administration directed ICE agents to expand their enforcement operations across multiple states in 2025, signaling a push for increased action where immigration and crime are concerned.
Yet tensions across the US have seemingly reached new heights, following the deaths of two American citizens in January at the hands of ICE agents.
Renee Good, a mom-of-three, and Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, were both shot dead by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis just weeks apart, as operations ramped up within the state.
Put simply, the purpose of ICE is to identify, arrest, and remove people who are in the US illegally.
But after killing two US citizens in the same city, Americans are beginning to cast doubt over its involvement, and have been left questioning whether agents have in fact abused their positions of power in recent weeks.
From one perspective, it seems their purpose now involves a degree of brutality, while other Americans would suggest the officers are simply doing their job.
Yet it seems even the administration, after initially branding both Good and Pretti as ‘domestic terrorists’ without evidence, is now backtracking on their narratives.
And following protests and disruption across the nation, the President has taken action, implementing not one, but numerous measures.
As a result, ICE have faced five major blows since the shooting of Pretti – so let’s take a look.
ICE being called out by Americans
Protests have spread widely, with hundreds of US citizens taking to the streets in cities across the country to demand accountability and justice following the deaths of Good and Pretti.
The demonstrations reflect growing public anger and concern over law enforcement conduct and the broader implications.
“Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE,” crowds could be heard yelling, as well as: “Stand up fight back.”
And their calls for reformation seemed to have been listened to.
Backlash from the NRA
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has grown into one of the most powerful political organizations in the US, and it has now made an unprecedented move.
The group, which campaigns for gun rights across the US, has spoken out against the shooting of Pretti in Minneapolis, demanding a ‘full investigation’ of the incident.
It comes after the Trump administration claimed that officers fired in self-defense, as Pretti was found to be carrying a gun.
But it was later established that Pretti was entitled to bear arms, given the Second Amendment.
Minneapolis police further confirmed that he was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit in the state.
The NRA claimed that the rhetoric around Pretti being shot because he was carrying a gun is ‘dangerous and wrong.’
Trump fires ICE lead in Minnesota
In a shocking move away from his administration’s original narrative, Trump announced that he is firing the Border Patrol Commander leading the operation in Minnesota, Gregory Bovino.
The federal agent, who has been stripped of his ‘commander at large’ title, will be replaced by Trump’s ‘border tsar’ Tom Homan, who the President has described as ‘tough but fair.’
In a statement, Trump said: “I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight.
“He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.”
In additional news, the President has agreed to remove ICE agents from Minnesota, and instead allow the local police to investigate Pretti’s killing by federal agents.
It comes after weeks of disruption and protests, as citizens begged ICE to leave their city alone.
Calls for Kirsty Noem to be impeached
In the wake of the backlash, mounting pressure has emerged for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kirsty Noem, as critics intensify their demands for accountability.
Democratic senator Jacky Rosen has been at the center of this conversation, after claiming that Noem has ‘misled the American public’ about the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Pretti – and she has the support of more than 100 Democrats.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Rosen said: “Kristi Noem has been an abject failure leading the Department of Homeland Security for the last year – and the abuses of power we’re seeing from ICE are the latest proof that she has lost control over her own department and staff.”
ICE chief ordered to appear in court
And in another bombshell announcement, ICE director Todd Lyons has been called to appear in court on Friday (January 30), to explain why an immigration detainee did not receive a bond hearing within the time ordered by the court.
The court document reads: “This is one of dozens of court orders with which respondents have failed to comply in recent weeks.”
The court adds that it has already been ‘extremely patient.’
Another government shutdown?
While this wouldn’t be a blow to ICE specifically, it would most certainly be a blow to US citizens across the country.
The White House is currently hoping for calm, as Democrats start to withdraw their support for the DHS funding bill, putting efforts to prevent a partial government shutdown at risk.
While lawmakers were close to finalizing their funding, the fatal shooting of Pretti has put those bills at risk in the Senate.
Key democrats have refused to support the Department of Homeland Security funding in response to the incident.
But as tensions reach an all-time high, could it actually be the worst timing for yet another shutdown?
