A US citizen was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis after being pepper-sprayed, beaten, and forced onto his knees. Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, had been observing agents' actions when he was confronted. The incident is the third shooting by immigration agents in the area this year.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been involved in a series of abuses in Minnesota since an early January crackdown began. These incidents include the use of chemical crowd control, brutality against protesters, bystanders, and immigrants, as well as baseless arrests and detentions.
A recent case drew attention when ICE agents violently detained two Target employees, including one who was left injured after being dragged from their car. Another incident involved a Venezuelan man being shot in the leg by ICE agents despite not being their target. A third person, ChongLy "Scott" Thao, was detained at gunpoint and taken to Texas while wearing only his underwear.
The pattern of abuse is part of a broader issue with ICE's actions in Minneapolis, where they are increasingly violating the Fourth Amendment. According to an internal memo, ICE can enter homes without judicial approval. The department has also targeted children, including a 5-year-old boy who was used as "bait" to detain others.
As Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, "How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?" However, it appears the Trump administration is not taking these incidents seriously.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been involved in a series of abuses in Minnesota since an early January crackdown began. These incidents include the use of chemical crowd control, brutality against protesters, bystanders, and immigrants, as well as baseless arrests and detentions.
A recent case drew attention when ICE agents violently detained two Target employees, including one who was left injured after being dragged from their car. Another incident involved a Venezuelan man being shot in the leg by ICE agents despite not being their target. A third person, ChongLy "Scott" Thao, was detained at gunpoint and taken to Texas while wearing only his underwear.
The pattern of abuse is part of a broader issue with ICE's actions in Minneapolis, where they are increasingly violating the Fourth Amendment. According to an internal memo, ICE can enter homes without judicial approval. The department has also targeted children, including a 5-year-old boy who was used as "bait" to detain others.
As Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, "How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?" However, it appears the Trump administration is not taking these incidents seriously.
Can't believe what's goin' down in Minneapolis. ICE and CBP agents are basically lawless. Using pepper spray and beatin' people up? That's just sick. And now this guy gets shot and killed? It's like they're above the law or somethin'. 
This isn't right, not even close. The fact that they can just walk in on someone's house without a warrant is messed up. What's next? No knock doors anymore? 
this is so messed up!!! i mean i know border control can't be easy but shooting and pepper spraying someone who's just observing?? that's wild lol no way that's crazy talk 
like what even is going on here? i read about all these other incidents where ice agents are being super rough with ppl and it's getting out of hand. i feel so bad for alex pretti's fam. did they even get any justice? i hope he got the best treatment possible 
but this whole thing just makes me wanna scream why r theynt taking responsibility for these agents?? 
This is literally insane... I mean, what kind of sick humans get paid to do this? To pepper spray someone and then shoot them in the back because they were just observing?! It's like something out of a bad movie. And don't even get me started on these agencies' blatant disregard for the law. Like, no one is held accountable when you're dealing with ICE agents! They're above the law or something... it's terrifying to think about what else they might be doing behind closed doors.
. This tragic event highlights the alarming pattern of abuse perpetuated by ICE and CBP agents in the city, which is utterly unacceptable. The use of pepper spray, physical force, and intimidation tactics against innocent bystanders, including Target employees, is not only inhumane but also a clear violation of human rights 
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. I'm also super worried about these kids getting caught in the crossfire 
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. They're literally entering people's homes without a warrant and detaining them... it's like something out of a dystopian novel 
. I don't get why the Trump admin isn't taking these incidents seriously, though... shouldn't they be, like, super concerned about this? 
. I mean, I guess it's not surprising that Trump's admin isn't taking these incidents seriously, they do have a history of looking the other way when it comes to abuse of power 
. but seriously, how many more people need to get hurt before someone gets held accountable? 5-year-old "bait" children are being used as human shields 
anyway back to this crazy ICE situation in Minneapolis... i don't know what's more disturbing the fact that they're violating the Fourth Amendment or that a 5-year-old boy was used as "bait" to detain others 
, and we all know how that ends 
. And what's with the kid being used as "bait"? That's just messed up 
. We need some serious accountability here 
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