Border Patrol places agents who shot Alex Pretti on leave

by · UPI

Jan. 28 (UPI) -- The two Border Patrol agents who fired shots in the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have been placed on leave, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Wednesday.

The agents have not been publicly identified.

President Donald Trump has vocally softened his stance on the shooting after officials called Pretti a "domestic terrorist" and an "assassin," despite a lack of evidence.

Pretti was the second person in Minneapolis to be killed by federal agents since Operation Metro Surge began in December. He was an intensive care nurse who was shot on Jan. 24 while trying to protect a woman who was knocked down by an agent. Renee Good was shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7 while trying to drive away.

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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday that federal agents have arrested 16 protesters for alleged assaults on federal agents.

"MINNESOTA ARRESTS - I am on the ground in Minneapolis today. Federal agents have arrested 16 Minnesota rioters for allegedly assaulting federal law enforcement - people who have been resisting and impeding our federal law enforcement agents," she said on X. "We expect more arrests to come. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: NOTHING will stop President Trump and this Department of Justice from enforcing the law."

On Tuesday, border czar Tom Homan spoke with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in an attempt to de-escalate the tensions in the state. But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the city would not enforce federal immigration laws because people should feel safe calling police, and Trump responded by saying that Frey was "playing with fire."

White House chief of staff Stephen Miller said DHS might not have followed protocol in Minneapolis. He said in a statement to news outlets that the White House "provided clear guidance to DHS that the extra personnel that had been sent to Minnesota for force protection should be used for conducting fugitive operations to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors. We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol."

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said there should be an independent investigation into Pretti's death and that DHS should create a commission.

"We can't just say, 'Oh, nothing to see here,' and, 'He was obviously an assassin and a domestic terrorist.' When we say things like that, it leads to no confidence," he said.

"I don't think it's honest to say he brandished a weapon. I don't think it's honest to say he assaulted officers," Paul told reporters. "I'm not saying he might not have been obnoxious. I'm not saying he might have said obnoxious things, but he films; he doesn't even obstruct the traffic. He waves a car through in the middle of this as they approach him. He retreats as they approach him again, he retreats when a woman is shoved to the ground, he goes to help her up, and that's when he is grabbed from behind."

ICE Out of Minnesota protest on Jan. 23 in Minneapolis

Thousands of protesters march in sub-zero temperatures during "ICE Out" day to protest the federal government's immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Friday. Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI | License Photo