Freight was fired again in Minneapolis during the tough actions of the federal police as part of President Donald Trump's deportation policy. According to local police, a 37-year-old man was shot by a border police officer.
The victim, Alex Jeffrey Pretty, was a medical worker in the intensive care unit of a US Veterans Administration hospital. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, Pretty was armed. Federal forces were conducting an operation against an illegal immigrant wanted for bodily harm when they were approached by a person with a semi-automatic pistol, the ministry announced on the X platform. It also published a photo of the alleged weapon. A border police officer opened fire because he feared "for his life and the lives and safety of other officers."
In eyewitness videos, however, the 37-year-old man is only seen holding a cell phone; no weapon is seen in any of the videos. Police Chief O'Hara said police believe the man was a "lawful licensed gun owner."
Family members confirmed that Pretti owned a gun and had a concealed carry permit in Minnesota. However, they never saw him carry it, German public broadcaster ARD has learned.
“The government is lying”
Pretti's parents have made serious allegations against the US immigration service ICE in Minneapolis. According to them, the officers shot their son without legal grounds. The government is lying, their statement says.
“The disgusting lies the government is spreading about our son are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex was clearly not holding a weapon when he was attacked by Trump's bloodthirsty and cowardly ICE gangsters”, the victim's parents are convinced. According to them, he was simply trying to protect a woman who was knocked to the ground by an ICE officer and sprayed with pepper spray before the shots were fired. The truth must be revealed, the parents of the murdered American insist.
“Our children are traumatized“
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called on US President Donald Trump at a press conference to withdraw ICE forces. "They are wreaking havoc and violence," he said. He added: "We can't live like this. Our children are traumatized."
The state will investigate the incident. Drew Evans, director of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, said federal agents kept his office away from the crime scene and denied them access even with a court order to search the area.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also called on President Trump to withdraw federal forces from the city. "The invasion of these heavily armed, masked agents roaming the streets of Minneapolis, emboldened by a sense of impunity, must end," he said.
President Trump shared photos of the weapon with the media and wrote: "What is this? Where are the local police?" Why weren't they allowed to protect ICE officers?“. Trump accused Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey of fomenting a riot with their “pompous, dangerous and arrogant rhetoric”.
Huge outrage and protests
In early January, an ICE officer in Minneapolis shot a 37-year-old woman in her car. The incident sparked huge outrage and thousands of protests against the actions of immigration authorities.
ICE operations are part of President Trump's intensified deportation policy during his second term. According to US government data, about 3,000 people have been arrested in Minnesota since the start of the intensified operations. Several cases filed by local authorities against the actions of federal authorities are currently pending in the courts.