On January 24, 2026, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was fatally shot by federal Border Patrol agents during a high-profile immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The killing took place amid a larger federal surge of arrests in the Twin Cities and quickly became the focal point of national outrage and competing narratives.
Video and witness accounts circulating online appear to show Pretti attempting to help a woman who had been shoved by agents and holding a phone — not a weapon — before officers moved in and shots were fired. His family and multiple onlookers insist the initial official descriptions do not match what the videos show, and those discrepancies deserve immediate scrutiny.
Federal officials and the Department of Homeland Security quickly defended the agents, saying a firearm was recovered at the scene and that officers believed they faced a threat, but state authorities say they were blocked from the scene and a judge has now ordered evidence preserved. The temporary restraining order demanding DHS not destroy or alter evidence is exactly the kind of step needed when federal and local accounts diverge.
Capitol Hill reacted in predictable fashion with calls for transparent, joint investigations from both parties — Republicans rightly insisting on accountability and Democrats seizing the moment to attack federal immigration policy. What must not happen is a rush to demonize the agents without seeing the full, preserved evidence, or allowing partisan theater to substitute for the rule of law.
Make no mistake: conservatives stand for law and order, which includes supporting our federal officers and insisting they be treated fairly when accused, but it also means demanding clear answers when Americans die in confrontations with government power. If federal agents broke the law or acted recklessly, they must be held to account; if they acted in self-defense, they should not be tried in the court of public opinion before facts are produced.
This is a test of American institutions — local and federal, courts and press — to do their jobs with integrity. Hardworking patriots expect a full, impartial investigation, preservation of the scene, and public transparency so the truth can come out and our communities can begin to heal.
