A video circulating widely on social media depicts a member of the US Department of Homeland Security applauding shortly after protester Alex Jeffrey Pretti was shot and killed in Minneapolis. The officer, wearing a police vest over a black hoodie, was seen near the scene where Pretti was restrained by Border Patrol agents when a gunshot was heard, causing the agent to pause.
Subsequent shots followed rapidly as a Border Patrol agent continued firing. In the video, the officer stepped back, clapped three times, then turned and left the area. Another video on social media suggests a different federal agent disarming Pretti just before his death. The agent, seemingly empty-handed, reached into the group restraining Pretti, appeared to grab a firearm, and then fled holding what appeared to be a gun. The identity of the weapon, whether Pretti’s legally owned handgun, remains unclear.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino mentioned in a press conference that agents were trying to apprehend Jose Huerta-Chuma, an illegal immigrant from Ecuador, when Pretti intervened. The incident led to protests in Minneapolis and online outrage, with the Trump administration portraying Pretti as the aggressor. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and others alleged that Pretti approached immigration officers with a gun and acted violently, despite conflicting accounts in videos showing the events leading to Pretti’s death.
Pretti’s family labeled his death a “murder” and criticized the Trump administration for spreading what they called “false narratives” about him. The incident comes at a critical time for the GOP as they gear up for a tough midterm election year. President Trump’s handling of immigration has faced a decline in approval ratings, with only 38 percent of US adults approving of his immigration policies in January, down from 49 percent in March, according to an AP-NORC poll.
The killing has ignited tensions within the GOP regarding gun rights. While officials stated Pretti was armed, no public videos show him holding a weapon. Minneapolis police confirmed Pretti had a permit to carry a gun. Questions have arisen within the administration about why Pretti was armed, highlighting a divergence from traditional GOP support for gun rights. In the aftermath, gun rights advocates emphasized the legality of carrying firearms during protests, asserting the rights of individuals to bear arms while exercising their First Amendment rights.