Former Fox News host and conservative commentator Megyn Kelly drew national attention this weekend with a pair of social media posts responding to the fatal shooting of a man by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement effort known as Operation Metro Surge. The incident and its aftermath have become flashpoints in an escalating dispute over federal immigration enforcement tactics and public protests.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other Department of Homeland Security agents were conducting raids in Minneapolis when 37‑year‑old U.S. citizen Alex Pretti was shot and killed by agents, according to federal officials who said the agent fired in self‑defense after Pretti approached with a handgun and violently resisted attempts to disarm him. Local video shows Pretti holding what appears to be a phone, not a weapon, as he was pepper‑sprayed and pinned down by agents before shots were fired. The fatal encounter triggered protests in Minneapolis and in cities around the country.
In the midst of that uproar, Kelly posted a message that was widely interpreted as intense and provocative. “@realDonaldTrump should pull ICE out of MN today & announce that there will be no more immigration enforcement in MN at all. All illegals in the US are encouraged to move there. And if any illegal is found outside of MN & gets deported, they can never apply for re‑entry,” she wrote, referencing both the ongoing raids and the broader national debate over immigration policy.
.@realDonaldTrump should pull ICE out of MN today & announce that there will be no more immigration enforcement in MN at all. All illegals in the US are encouraged to move there. And if any illegal is found outside of MN & gets deported, they can never apply for re-entry. https://t.co/yTQfOggKKs
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) January 24, 2026
Kelly also posted a more general critique of protesters who have clashed with law enforcement during the Minneapolis unrest: “Don’t obstruct law enforcement doing their job. It’s dangerous enough for them out there. Doing so is a reckless assumption of risk that endangers you and everyone around you.” That message echoed positions taken by many Republican commentators who have emphasized the dangers faced by officers and agents during high‑tension operations.
Don’t obstruct law enforcement doing their job. It’s dangerous enough for them out there. Doing so is a reckless assumption of risk that endangers you and everyone around you.
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) January 25, 2026
Her comments were met with immediate criticism on social media and from some news outlets, which argued she appeared to downplay the lethal shooting and reframed the public outrage as an attack on law enforcement rather than a response to the use of deadly force. Several critics said her calls to exempt Minnesota from immigration enforcement altogether confused the violent encounter with policy debate, and they pointed out that the shooting itself — distinct from broader immigration law enforcement — had fueled public anger.
Operation Metro Surge, launched by the federal government in late 2025, has deployed thousands of DHS agents, including ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel, into the Twin Cities to carry out raids on undocumented immigrants and those suspected of immigration violations. State and local leaders have strongly opposed the operation, arguing it has strained local resources and endangered public safety, and they have filed lawsuits seeking to halt the surge on constitutional grounds.
In the wake of the shooting and protests, the dispute over policing and immigration enforcement in Minneapolis has intensified. Federal authorities have defended their actions as lawful and necessary to protect public safety, while state officials and community members have condemned the deaths of U.S. citizens and called for accountability and restraint.
