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Minneapolis reels after second fatal shooting by federal agents in a month
Calvary Baptist Church in Minneapolis opened its doors on Sunday as residents sought shelter from both the cold and the fallout of a fatal confrontation involving federal immigration agents. The shooting of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, on Saturday marked the second killing of a U.S. citizen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the city in less than a month.
Church steps in as community hub
Instead of holding services, the 140-year-old church near the site of Pretti's death became a gathering place for volunteers distributing coffee, snacks, and hand warmers. Ann Hotz, who works at the church's daycare center, described the scene as a mix of grief and solidarity.
"Yesterday, I fell apart. Today I'm here to stand with my community and help our neighbors as they remember Alex and mourn him. But I do have to say, the helpers are getting really tired. This is exhausting, and so we need there to be a change."
Ann Hotz, Calvary Baptist Church volunteer
Federal operation sparks outrage and protests
President Donald Trump ordered thousands of ICE agents to Minneapolis in December as part of a nationwide crackdown on undocumented immigration, a cornerstone of his re-election campaign. The administration has framed the operation as a public safety effort targeting criminal migrants, but critics argue it has ensnared non-criminals and U.S. citizens.
Trump praised the agents' work in a Wall Street Journal interview on Sunday but suggested the operation would eventually end without specifying a timeline. Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz demanded the immediate withdrawal of the agents, calling them "3,000 untrained" personnel who pose a danger to residents.
Conflicting accounts of Pretti's shooting
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that agents fired in self-defense after Pretti, allegedly armed with a handgun, resisted attempts to disarm him. However, eyewitnesses, local officials, and Pretti's family disputed this version, claiming he was holding a phone, not a weapon. His parents accused the administration of spreading "sickening lies" about the incident.
Vigils and protests sweep the city
Over the weekend, vigils and protests erupted across Minneapolis. Mourners left flowers and candles at the site of Pretti's death, while demonstrators chanted slogans like "No more Minnesota nice, Minneapolis will strike." Felix Johnson, a first-time protester, expressed disbelief at the agents' actions, particularly after seeing a video of a four-year-old girl left in a car following her father's detention.
"I don't understand how they can come in and just start snatching people that are citizens and start treating them like they're animals."
Felix Johnson, protester
National divide over immigration enforcement
While polls show roughly half of U.S. voters support Trump's deportation efforts, many Minnesotans interviewed by the BBC opposed the ICE operations. A Politico poll conducted after the first fatal shooting this month revealed that about half of Americans viewed the crackdown as too aggressive.
At Sunday's protest, a veteran held a sign reading "Veterans Against ICE," criticizing the operation as antithetical to the principles of freedom he had sworn to defend.
