Video and witnesses repeatedly undercut DHS accounts in Minneapolis ICE and Border Patrol shootings
Video and eyewitness accounts from recent Minneapolis incidents — most prominently Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting at 26th & Nicollet and a separate case involving a Venezuelan man — conflict with DHS/ICE descriptions, with sworn declarations and surveillance and bystander video suggesting agents used aggressive, military‑style tactics and disputing official self‑defense claims. The discrepancies have prompted local mourning and protests, union calls for an independent investigation, legal challenges alleging excessive force that could undermine DHS credibility, and related federal prosecutions tied to clashes at the demonstrations.
📌 Key Facts
- Alex Pretti was killed by Border Patrol agents on Nicollet Avenue at 26th & Nicollet in Minneapolis; reporting describes a street‑level, time‑sequenced scene that shifted from a near‑empty, subzero‑cold morning with heavy police presence to evening vigils, chants, makeshift memorials and outraged mourners.
- Bystander and surveillance video, along with multiple eyewitness accounts, conflict with DHS/ICE descriptions of the shooting — a pattern documented across this and other recent Minnesota cases (including a separate shooting of a Venezuelan man).
- A sworn eyewitness declaration filed in U.S. District Court alleges agents were punching car windows, stopping traffic, pepper‑spraying observers, shoving at least one woman to the ground, and then that Pretti — after raising his hands and being pepper‑sprayed while trying to help the shoved woman up — was thrown to the ground by 4–5 agents who then opened fire despite the witness not seeing a weapon in his hands.
- A federal lawsuit naming DHS and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (as reported) explicitly alleges excessive force and says DHS’s public self‑defense claims diverge from what’s captured on video.
- Pretti’s nurses’ union said it was 'deeply disappointed' with Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins’ public response, called for a fully independent investigation separate from DHS’s internal review, and criticized VA leadership for appearing to emphasize support for federal agents over addressing contradictions between DHS narratives and emerging evidence.
- Reporting compares ICE/DHS affidavits and press statements side‑by‑side with what cameras captured across several Minnesota shootings, and legal experts and civil‑rights attorneys say the repeated conflicts between official narratives and video evidence could undermine federal credibility in court, strengthen civil suits and habeas petitions, and justify judicial limits on Metro Surge tactics.
- Alex Pretti has become a focal symbol in protests against Operation Metro Surge, with new chants, signs and organizing themes appearing at memorials and demonstrations.
- A separate federal grand jury indictment charges 27‑year‑old Claire Louise Feng of St. Paul with inflicting bodily injury on a Homeland Security Investigations agent at the Jan. 24 protest following Pretti’s shooting; DOJ alleges she tackled an agent and bit off the tip of his right ring finger, and the case is being investigated by DHS, ICE and HSI and is moving forward in federal court.
📊 Relevant Data
Over the past decade (2016-2026), US immigration agents have shot and killed more than two dozen people, with not a single agent appearing to have faced criminal charges.
Why ICE Can Kill With Impunity — WIRED
In 2026, immigrants from Venezuela constitute 0.035% of Minnesota's population, below the national average of 0.16%.
Top 10 States | Percentage of Immigrants from Venezuela in 2026 — Zip Atlas
Venezuela's homicide rate decreased slightly to 26.2 per 100,000 in 2024 from 26.8 in 2023, remaining much higher than the US rate of about 6.8 per 100,000, contributing to migration flows.
InSight Crime's 2024 Homicide Round-Up — InSight Crime (via House.gov)
Analysis of 2019 data shows that Venezuelan migrants commit substantially fewer crimes, especially violent crimes, than the native-born population in Colombia, Peru, and Chile.
Venezuelan Migration, Crime, and Misperceptions — Migration Policy Institute
📰 Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 14, 2026
6:48 PM
St. Paul woman federally indicted for allegedly biting Border Patrol agent's finger after Alex Pretti shooting
New information:
- A federal grand jury has indicted 27‑year‑old Claire Louise Feng of St. Paul for inflicting bodily injury on a Homeland Security Investigations agent at the Jan. 24 protest scene following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
- DOJ alleges Feng tackled an agent attempting to arrest a person who threw back a tear-gas canister, and that when another agent took her to the ground she bit off the tip of his right ring finger, exposing the bone.
- The case is being investigated by DHS, ICE and Homeland Security Investigations and is now moving forward in federal court, adding to the criminal docket tied to the Metro Surge protest clashes.
1:30 AM
Minnesota shooting of Venezuelan man is the latest where video evidence contradicts ICE accounts
New information:
- Documents and legal filings in the Venezuelan man’s shooting show DHS/ICE descriptions of the encounter diverge sharply from surveillance and bystander video, similar to discrepancies already reported in the Alex Pretti case.
- The article lays out, side by side, what ICE claimed in affidavits and press statements versus what cameras actually captured across several Minnesota shootings, establishing a documented pattern rather than isolated errors.
- It quotes additional legal experts and civil-rights attorneys arguing that the repeated conflicts between DHS narratives and video evidence could undermine federal credibility in court, bolster habeas petitions and civil suits, and justify broader judicial limits on Metro Surge tactics.
January 27, 2026
6:57 PM
Alex Pretti’s union speaks out: ‘Disappointed’ with VA Sec. Collins’ reaction, calls for independent investigation
New information:
- Pretti’s union (a nurses’ union representing VA and/or Twin Cities hospital nurses) issued a formal statement saying it is 'deeply disappointed' with Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins’ public response to the shooting.
- The union explicitly called for a fully independent investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti, separate from DHS’s internal review, and questioned whether VA leadership is adequately defending frontline health‑care workers.
- Union leaders criticized Collins for emphasizing support for federal agents and the immigration operation while, in their view, minimizing or overlooking contradictions between DHS’s narrative and emerging video/witness evidence from the Nicollet Avenue scene.
January 25, 2026
3:51 AM
Minneapolis shooting: ICE operation turns violent, witnesses allege excessive force
New information:
- Introduces a detailed sworn declaration filed in U.S. District Court by an eyewitness who was on Nicollet when the shooting occurred.
- Witness states agents were punching car windows, stopping traffic, pepper‑spraying observers and shoving at least one woman to the ground before the shooting.
- Witness says Alex Pretti raised his hands, was pepper‑sprayed, then tried to help the shoved woman up and was thrown to the ground by 4–5 agents who then 'just started shooting him' despite the witness never seeing a gun in his hands.
- The filing is part of a federal lawsuit naming DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and DHS, explicitly alleging excessive force and a disconnect between DHS’s public self‑defense claims and what’s on video.
3:31 AM
Minnesotans mourn Alex Pretti, man killed by Border Patrol agent
New information:
- Details from mourners and friends about who Alex Pretti was, including his work as an ICU nurse and his ties to local hospitals and the south Minneapolis community.
- More granular description of the memorial at 26th & Nicollet — size of the crowd, types of tributes, tone of speeches/prayers, and how it has evolved since the initial vigil.
- Additional quotes reflecting community anger and fear about Border Patrol and ICE operating with military-style tactics in residential Minneapolis neighborhoods.
- Further clarification of how Pretti has become a symbol in protests against Operation Metro Surge, including new chants, signs, and organizing themes mentioned at the gathering.
12:42 AM
From frigid quiet to outraged sorrow, a few hours on Minneapolis street where agents killed man
New information:
- Provides a street‑level, time‑sequenced account of several hours at 26th & Nicollet after Alex Pretti was killed, from near‑empty sidewalks and heavy police presence in subzero cold to the arrival of mourners and chanting protesters.
- Captures direct quotes and emotions from neighbors, business patrons and demonstrators who describe shock, fear, and anger at yet another federal shooting in their neighborhood.
- Details the physical feel of the scene — boarded businesses, flashing squads, makeshift memorials, and the contrast between a frigid, almost silent morning and an evening of vigils and outraged chants — which was not in prior policy‑focused coverage.
January 24, 2026