Overview
- Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot and killed on Jan. 24 during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis, with bystander videos appearing to show he was not holding his handgun as an agent removed it from his waistband.
- Homeland Security officials under President Trump assert the shootings were in self-defense, with Secretary Kristi Noem saying Pretti advanced while armed, a claim at odds with widely shared footage.
- Katy Perry urged fans to call senators and oppose funding for ICE, while Billie Eilish pressed fellow celebrities to speak out and shared Finneas O’Connell’s video condemning justifications for the shooting.
- The National Basketball Players Association said players can no longer remain silent, and figures including Pedro Pascal amplified calls for public action.
- Newsweek reported growing Democratic calls to abolish ICE and noted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s pledge to block a DHS funding package, as Operation Metro Surge continues with thousands of federal agents in the Twin Cities.