NEWS
BREAKING:‘WE BELIEVE IN PEACE’: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Urges President Trump to Withdraw Federal Agents Amid Unrest After Fatal Minneapolis Shooting. Full story below.
Minnesota is facing escalating tensions and widespread unrest after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, by federal immigration agents during a contentious enforcement operation over the weekend.
The incident marked the second deadly confrontation involving federal agents in Minnesota within weeks and has deepened political divisions across the state and the nation.
Pretti, an ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, was killed by U.S. Border Patrol officers in south Minneapolis on Saturday.
Federal officials claimed he was armed and posed a danger, but multiple video recordings verified by independent media and eyewitnesses suggest he was filming or assisting others and may not have drawn a weapon before he was shot, reigniting debate over the conduct and oversight of federal immigration enforcement.
In the wake of the shooting, Governor Tim Walz made a public appeal to President Donald Trump, demanding that the administration withdraw federal immigration agents from Minnesota.
Walz described the surge of agents as “untrained” and said their presence was contributing to instability and fear in local communities.
He pressed Trump to “pull these folks back” and called for more humane, focused, and effective immigration control policies that do not endanger residents’ lives.
Walz’s message emphasized the state’s commitment to public safety and peace: “We believe in law and order… We believe in peace… and we believe that Donald Trump needs to pull these 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another person.”
He urged calm among Minnesota and stressed that local authorities, not federal agents, should lead investigations into the shooting, while also expressing deep sympathy for Pretti’s family.
Minnesota has witnessed robust public demonstrations since the incident, with residents and activists calling for accountability, transparency, and an end to the aggressive immigration enforcement campaign known as “Operation Metro Surge.”
The movement has drawn support from civil rights groups, labor organizations, and political leaders nationwide demanding stricter oversight of federal agencies such as ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
President Trump and administration officials have defended the deployment, labeling their actions as necessary to enforce immigration laws and maintain national security.
The standoff has thrust immigration enforcement tactics and federal-state relations to the forefront of national political debate, particularly with key elections approaching and public opinion increasingly polarized.
As Minnesota grapples with both grief and dissent, Governor Walz’s outspoken demand to remove federal agents highlights a broader struggle over how best to balance public safety, civil liberties, and law enforcement accountability in a deeply divided country.
