The White House has issued a significant update in a new statement released after Alex Pretti was shot by ICE agents in Minnesota.
The President has made an unexpected announcement after 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, was shot dead by ICE officers on Saturday (January 24).
The federal law enforcement has now been present in the state for nine weeks, after the Trump administration ordered ICE to crackdown on crime and illegal immigration.
However, there is growing concern among Americans that law enforcement officers have repeatedly abused their authority, following the deaths of two US citizens in Minneapolis.
The first incident occurred on January 7, when mom-of-three, Renee Good, was brutally shot dead behind the wheel of her vehicle by agent Jonathan Ross, who had served in ICE for more than ten years.
And following Pretti’s tragically similar death on Saturday, many Americans have quite simply had enough.
And in an unprecedented move, the President has responded.
Newly-released video footage
Clips taken from numerous angles, capturing the moments leading up to Pretti’s death, are now beginning to circulate on social media.
In one video, a brief but quite significant audio exchange was recorded.
One officer can be heard asking Pretti: “Where’s the f***ing gun?”
He asked the question while the nurse was already pinned to the ground by several officers, while another officer responded that he in fact had the weapon.
This evidence is expected to become central to the debate around whether Pretti posed a clear and immediate threat to life, which allegedly prompted the officer’s fatal gunshots.
The Department of Homeland Security originally stated that agents fired in self-defense, after Pretti, who they claim had a handgun, resisted their attempts to disarm him.
However, after the release of video footage and eyewitness testimony, there is no clear sign of a gun in Pretti’s hand.
Growing concern about ICE’s operation in Minneapolis
There is growing concern across the US that Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirsty Noem’s, operation in Minneapolis has frankly spiraled out of control.
Vermont Governor Phil Scott joined a growing number of concerned law-makers, in a statement on X which said: “At best, these federal immigration operations are a complete failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices, training, and leadership.”
Even close ally to President Trump, Senator Pete Ricketts, has called for a ‘prioritized and transparent investigation.’
He wrote: “My support for funding ICE remains the same. But we must also maintain our core values as a nation, including the right to protest and assemble.”
Pretti’s parents demand the ‘truth’ be told
Speaking to several US outlets, Pretti’s family released a statement following the tragic passing of their son.
His parents wrote: “We are heartbroken but also very angry. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.
“Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse.
“Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact.”
They demanded: “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
President Trump backtracks
After the Trump administration’s initial claims that Pretti was a ‘domestic terrorist,’ identical to the comments made about Renee Good with no evidence, it seems the President has now backtracked.
White House officials appear to now be distancing Trump from their initial characterization of Pretti, after video footage undermined claims that he was brandishing a gun.
During a White House conference just yesterday (January 26), press secretary Karoline Leavitt took a more solemn approach, labeling Pretti’s death as a ‘tragedy.’
She appeared to go-back on claims by the administration that the nurse was a ‘would-be-assasin,’ and Trump reported shortly afterwards that there would be an official review of the shooting.
His government is facing facing pressure not only from Democrats, but also prominent Republicans, who are calling for a more wide-raging investigation into ICE’s operation.
Trump agrees to pull ICE agents out of Minnesota
In a shock move, President Trump has agreed to remove ICE agents from Minnesota, and instead allow the local police to investigate Pretti’s killing by federal agents.
But it wasn’t the only bombshell announcement to come out of the White House yesterday evening.
Border Patrol Commander, who was leading the operation in Minnesota, Gregory Bovino, has been fired.
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 describes 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.”
The President’s decision may indication the administration taking a more measured approach to federal action in the months to come.
Trump also met with Noem in the Oval Office yesterday for nearly two hours, while the administration attempted to shift its strategy, following the death of US citizens at the hands of ICE agents.
The DHS has also Bovino’s access to his social media accounts, which is effective immediately.
The announcement to fire Bovino will come as a shock to protestors, who have first-hand witnessed the alleged brutality of ICE agents in Minnesota, as well as other states across the US.
