Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Sunday urged the Trump administration to withdraw nearly 3,000 federal immigration agents deployed to the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, saying their presence has inflamed tensions following the fatal shooting of American citizen Alex Pretti by a U.S. Border Patrol agent a day earlier.
Speaking at a news conference, Walz described Pretti’s killing as an “inflection point” for the country and said video evidence contradicts claims by President Donald Trump and senior federal officials that Pretti violently attacked law enforcement.
“I don’t care if you are conservative and you are flying a Donald Trump flag, you’re a Libertarian ‘don’t tread on me,’ you’re a Democratic Socialist of America — this is an inflection point, America,” Walz said.
Pretti, 37, was shot and killed Saturday during a confrontation involving federal immigration agents amid protests in Minneapolis. Trump, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino have alleged that Pretti posed a deadly threat to officers. Walz rejected that account, saying publicly available videos show no justification for the use of lethal force.
“Based on the video evidence, Alex Pretti did not attack federal agents,” the governor said, describing him as a respected ICU nurse who worked with veterans, had no criminal record and legally owned a firearm. “He was beloved by his family and his community.”
Multiple videos filmed by witnesses show Pretti coming to the aid of a female protester after she was pushed to the ground by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Moments later, footage shows a federal agent pepper-spraying Pretti before several agents wrestled him to the ground. One agent is seen removing a handgun from Pretti before another fired multiple shots.
“And you know what you saw,” Walz said, referring to the videos viewed by millions online. He accused federal officials of attempting to redefine the incident after the fact. “You then heard the most powerful people in this country narrate to you what you were looking at — calling him a domestic terrorist, crazed, intent on killing law enforcement — within minutes of this happening.”
Walz alleged that federal authorities closed the crime scene prematurely, removed evidence and defied a court order barring destruction of materials related to the shooting. “If we cannot all agree that this is the smearing of an American citizen and the besmirching of everything he stood for, I don’t know what else to tell you,” he said.
Calling the administration’s response “despicable,” Walz accused Trump of personally defaming Pretti online. “This is basic human decency,” he said, also referencing the fatal shooting earlier this month of another U.S. citizen, Renee Good, 37, by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
“There’s one person who can end this now,” Walz said. “President Trump, you can end this today.”
A court filing released Sunday further challenged the federal government’s account. A witness, whose name was redacted, said Pretti was pepper-sprayed while trying to help a woman who had been knocked down by an ICE agent. “It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up,” the witness stated.
A Minnesota judge has granted a temporary restraining order preventing federal officials from destroying any evidence related to the shooting. A court hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Calls for accountability have come from across the political spectrum. Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama said in a statement that Pretti’s death should be “a wake-up call to every American” about the erosion of the nation’s core values. They said federal agents must act lawfully and work with state and local officials, adding that “that’s not what we’re seeing in Minnesota.”
Republican Senator Thom Tillis also called for a “thorough and impartial investigation,” warning that any official who rushes to judgment or impedes scrutiny “does an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy.”
