Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sharply criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on Sunday, accusing federal authorities of putting lives at risk a day after U.S. immigration agents shot and killed a U.S. citizen during a street confrontation that ignited protests across the city and beyond.
“Minnesota believes in law and order. We believe in peace. And we believe that Trump needs to pull his 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another American in the street,” Walz said, escalating an already tense standoff between state officials and the White House.
Minnesota believes in law and order. We believe in peace. And we believe that Trump needs to pull his 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another American in the street.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 25, 2026
Walz’s remarks came in response to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was killed Saturday during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Federal officials said Border Patrol agents fired in self-defense after Pretti approached officers with a handgun and violently resisted efforts to disarm him. The Department of Homeland Security described the incident as an attack on law enforcement and said the agent feared for his life and the safety of others when shots were fired.
Bystander videos appeared to contradict parts of the federal account. The footage shows Pretti holding what appears to be a phone as agents push protesters to the ground. Pretti is seen stepping between an agent and two women before being pepper-sprayed and forced to the ground by multiple officers. Video later shows an agent removing a firearm from Pretti during a struggle, followed by an officer firing multiple shots into Pretti’s back as he is pinned to the pavement. Additional shots can be heard seconds later.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti was not protesting peacefully and accused him of attempting to perpetuate violence, though she did not say whether he brandished the weapon before the struggle. Federal officials released an image of a handgun they say Pretti was carrying, along with two magazines, and said he had no identification on him at the time.
Local officials pushed back forcefully. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with no criminal history aside from traffic violations. Walz said the video evidence was “sickening” and declared that the federal government could not be trusted to investigate itself, adding that the state would handle the inquiry. The head of Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said federal agents blocked state investigators from accessing the scene on Saturday.
The shooting triggered hundreds of protesters to converge on the neighborhood, where masked and heavily armed federal agents deployed tear gas and flashbang grenades. Demonstrations later spread to cities including New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Minneapolis police and state troopers were eventually deployed to manage crowds, and authorities urged restraint as tensions remained high into the night. The Minneapolis Institute of Art closed for safety reasons, and an NBA game involving the Minnesota Timberwolves was postponed.
The incident further strained relations between Minnesota officials and the Trump administration, which are already at odds following the January 7 shooting of another U.S. citizen, Renee Good, by immigration agents earlier this month. Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for an immediate end to the administration’s local immigration enforcement operation, with Frey asking how many more Americans would need to be harmed before it was halted.
Today, we lost another Minneapolis neighbor after multiple ICE agents pummeled him and shot him to death.
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) January 24, 2026
How many more people need to die or get shot before this ends?
President Trump, I am calling on you to put the American people and this American city first & get ICE out. pic.twitter.com/iGkziVRPUI
President Trump responded by accusing state and local leaders of inflaming unrest, writing on social media that the mayor and governor were “inciting Insurrection” through what he called dangerous rhetoric. Vice President JD Vance, who visited Minneapolis last week, accused local officials of refusing to provide police support to immigration agents, an assertion Walz rejected, saying the operation has strained local law enforcement resources.
It is actually possible that the total amount of money stolen, over the years, by Corrupt Politicians and Fraudsters, from Minnesota, will exceed $100 Billion Dollars. In any event, whether it is or isn’t, the Theft, Incompetence, and Fraud is MASSIVE! Sadly, whatever numbers we…
— Commentary: Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) January 24, 2026
Walz’s latest comments also came against the backdrop of Trump’s recent statements about potentially invoking the Insurrection Act, a rarely used law that would allow the president to deploy active-duty military forces domestically. Trump raised the possibility earlier this month amid protests tied to immigration enforcement, though he has not taken that step.
As investigations continue and protests persist, Walz’s remarks underscored the growing divide between Minnesota officials and the federal government, with the governor framing the shooting as evidence that the administration’s approach poses a direct threat to public safety rather than restoring order.
