A terrorism label that comes before the facts can turn ‘domestic terrorism’ into a useless designation

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem initially said Alex Pretti committed an ‘act of domestic terrorism’ before saying later that ‘we were using the best information we had at the time.’ Al Drago/Getty Image

In separate encounters, federal immigration agents in Minneapolis killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti in January 2026.

Shortly after Pretti’s killing, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said he committed an “act of domestic terrorism.” Noem made the same accusation against Good.