The Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents, the US deputy attorney general has said.
Todd Blanche mentioned he did not want to overstate the move, labeling it a standard investigation by the FBI when there are circumstances like what we saw. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated the FBI would lead the investigation into Pretti's shooting in Minneapolis, with support from the DOJ's Civil Rights Division. Pretti's death occurred just weeks after another shooting incident involving federal officers in the same city.
Blanche noted at a news conference: We're looking at everything that would shed light on that day. He added that the investigation would engage lawyers from the civil rights division as needed.
Initially, the inquiry was being led by the Homeland Security Investigations branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as reported by CBS News.
According to a preliminary report from the DHS sent to Congress, two officers fired their weapons at Pretti during a confrontation. Official accounts suggested Pretti had brandished a firearm.
The 37-year-old intensive care nurse, a US citizen, is believed to have participated in protests in the city after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent on January 7.
These incidents have sparked renewed demonstrations across the state, drawing significant public outcry and criticism from lawmakers on both sides. Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis' Mayor Jacob Frey have called for the complete withdrawal of federal agents from the state’s capital region.
Furthermore, the state has requested a federal judge to halt Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement operation by the DHS that began on December 1, incorporating around 3,000 officers.
President Donald Trump has commented on the need to de-escalate actions in Minnesota, while border director Tom Homan indicated that federal forces might be reduced if cooperation from local officials is achieved.
“We are not surrendering our mission at all. We're just doing it smarter,” Homan explained during a news conference in Minneapolis, without offering specifics on what a de-escalated approach might entail.
