Rand Paul Says DHS, ICE Must 'Restore Trust' and Announces Minneapolis Field Hearing on Pretti, Good Shootings
Sen. Rand Paul, chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, says DHS and ICE must "restore trust" and has scheduled a public field hearing in Minneapolis for Feb. 12 to probe the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, calling for an independent investigation after reviewing bystander video he says shows no evidence Pretti assaulted agents and criticizing senior officials for making unsupported claims. A preliminary CBP report to Congress — highlighted on CBS's 60 Minutes, which framed the broader question as "Who can you kill?" — says two federal agents fired their weapons after a whistle, use of OC spray and a brief struggle, and notes an agent secured Pretti’s firearm but provides no documented chain of custody, partially contradicting earlier DHS talking points.
📌 Key Facts
- A CBP preliminary review by its Office of Professional Responsibility, transmitted to Congress, says two federal agents fired their weapons at Alex Pretti — a Border Patrol agent with a Glock 19 and a CBP officer with a Glock 47 — contradicting earlier DHS language that only one agent fired 'defensive shots.'
- The report describes the initial encounter as beginning when two women blew whistles in the roadway, notes OC spray was used on Pretti and one woman, and says a Border Patrol agent yelled 'He’s got a gun!' before shots were fired roughly five seconds later; it does not state Pretti approached agents or reached for his firearm, undercutting prior claims of an attempted 'massacre' or assassination attempt.
- CBP acknowledges a Border Patrol agent took possession of Pretti’s firearm after the shooting and secured it in a government vehicle, and the report does not show that the gun was photographed in place or logged with a documented chain of custody at the scene.
- Sen. Rand Paul framed the central questions as 'Who can you kill?' and 'When can you kill them?' and has called for an independent investigation into the Minneapolis deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal immigration officers.
- As chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Paul has scheduled a public field hearing in Minneapolis for February 12 to examine the Renee Good and Alex Pretti shootings and says DHS and ICE must 'restore trust.'
- Paul says he reviewed bystander video of the Pretti killing 'again and again,' saw 'no evidence' Pretti assaulted agents, and describes Pretti as retreating and only grabbing for a woman who had been shoved to the ground when he was seized.
- Paul publicly criticized statements from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, FBI Director Kash Patel and adviser Stephen Miller as 'terrible' and factually unsupported (characterizing Pretti as a terrorist or assassin), saying 'trust is broken' and warning Noem’s job could be at risk depending on frontline testimony.
- CBS’s 60 Minutes (Scott Pelley) is devoting a national investigative segment to the Minneapolis killings and federal rules on when agents may use lethal force, signaling the issue has reached prime-time scrutiny and wider public accountability.
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 02, 2026
12:00 AM
Sen. Paul says DHS, ICE must "restore trust" after Minneapolis shootings
New information:
- Sen. Rand Paul, as Homeland Security Committee chair, confirms he has scheduled a public hearing in Minneapolis for February 12 to examine the Renee Good and Alex Pretti shootings.
- Paul says he personally reviewed bystander video of the Alex Pretti killing 'again and again' and saw 'no evidence' that Pretti assaulted agents, describing him as retreating and only grabbing for a woman who'd been shoved to the ground when he was seized.
- Paul publicly states that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, FBI Director Kash Patel and Trump adviser Stephen Miller made 'terrible' and factually unsupported statements about Pretti being a terrorist or assassin, and that 'trust is broken.'
- Paul signals Noem’s job could be at risk depending on what frontline employees say under oath, warning he will not accept testimony that tries to justify claims that Pretti was 'aggressively assaulting' officers.
February 01, 2026
11:02 PM
"Who Can You Kill?" | Sunday on 60 Minutes
New information:
- Sen. Rand Paul is publicly framing the core questions as 'Who can you kill?' and 'When can you kill them?' regarding federal immigration officers’ use of lethal force.
- Paul is calling for an independent investigation into the deaths of two people in Minneapolis at the hands of federal immigration officers.
- CBS’s 60 Minutes, via Scott Pelley, is devoting a national investigative segment to the Minneapolis killings and broader federal rules on when agents may kill, signaling the issue has reached a prime‑time accountability stage.
January 27, 2026
10:32 PM
2 agents fired their weapons during Alex Pretti shooting, report to Congress says
New information:
- CBP’s preliminary report to Congress confirms that two federal agents – a Border Patrol agent with a Glock 19 and a CBP officer with a Glock 47 – fired their weapons at Alex Pretti, contradicting earlier DHS language that only one agent fired 'defensive shots'.
- The report’s narrative says a Border Patrol agent yelled 'He’s got a gun!' shortly before the shooting but does not claim Pretti approached agents with his firearm or reached for it, omissions that undercut earlier public statements by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino alleging an attempted 'massacre' or assassination attempt.
- CBP acknowledges a Border Patrol agent took possession of Pretti’s firearm after the shooting and secured it in a government vehicle, without specifying whether the gun was photographed in place or logged with a documented chain of custody at the scene, reinforcing prior reporting that there is no proper chain‑of‑custody documentation for the key piece of evidence.
- The report describes the initial encounter as beginning when two women blew whistles in the roadway, the use of OC spray on Pretti and one woman, and a struggle before shots were fired approximately five seconds after the 'He’s got a gun!' shout.
- CBP’s document is explicitly labeled as a 'preliminary review' by its Office of Professional Responsibility and was transmitted to congressional officials, giving lawmakers their first official narrative that partially contradicts earlier DHS and White House talking points.
January 23, 2026