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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Bel Trew,Mike Bedigan and Joe Sommerlad

Minnesota ICE live updates: Trump’s border czar Tom Homan says ‘no agency is perfect’ as administration shifts tone

Alex Pretti Donald Trump Tim Walz Ice Rachel Dobkin Border Patrol Minnesota Ilhan Omar Stephen Miller Renee Good

President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, sent to Minneapolis to restore order to federal immigration operations, has said he will stay in the city “until the problem is gone.”

Homan held a press conference Thursday morning after being brought in following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, which saw CBP Commander Greg Bovino stood down earlier this week.

“No agency is perfect – we have recognised certain improvements could and should be made,” the Trump official said, pledging to restore “safety” while also insisting that he would not be “surrendering the president’s mission.”

His involvement comes amid ongoing backlash over the Trump administration’s handling of the second fatal shooting last weekend.

The Department of Homeland Security has meanwhile announced that the two federal agents involved in Pretti’s death have been withdrawn from the streets and placed on administrative leave.

A video was released Wednesday showing a prior confrontation between Pretti and other agents, which is understood to have taken place 11 days before he was killed.

Key Points

  • Border czar Tom Homan tells Minneapolis: ‘I’m staying until the problem’s gone’
  • Federal agents who killed Alex Pretti are put on administrative leave
  • Tim Walz questions whether agents involved in Pretti killing are really off the streets
  • New video shows Pretti confronting agents 11 days before fatal shooting
  • Democrats present ultimatum: Fix ICE or face another government shutdown

Picture shows syringe used during Ilhan Omar attack

17:59 , Mike Bedigan

As part of a federal lawsuit against Anthony Kazmierczak, the man who attacked Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar earlier this week, prosecutors included a picture of a syringe it is alleged he brandished at the congresswoman.

According to an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, a Hazmat Specialist with the North Metro Chemical Assessment Team field tested the substance from the syringe and determined it was actually water and apple cider vinegar.

Kazmierczak reportedly told officers "I squirted vinegar" as he was being arrested.

Omar was unhurt in the incident, and continued her remarks following the attack.

(Minnesota lawsuit)

Charges against man who attacked Ilhan Omar revealed

17:52 , Mike Bedigan

Federal assault charges against Anthony Kazmierczak, the man who attacked Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar earlier this week.

Kazmierczak faces one count for having “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated and officer and employee of the United States.”

The affidavit, obtained by The Independent, alleges he once told someone that “somebody should kill that bitch.”

Omar was speaking at a public meeting in which she called for the abolishment of ICE and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign when Kazmierczak got up from the front row and sprayed her with an unknown substance.

ICE claims Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis was ‘not clearly marked’ when officers tried to enter

17:35 , Mike Bedigan

Federal immigration officers nearly triggered an international incident this week after trying to enter the Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis without permission, what the country’s foreign ministry called an “attempted intrusion” that sparked a formal complaint to U.S. authorities.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement claims that officers were tracking down an Ecuadorian immigrant who ran into the building, which an agency spokesperson claims was “not clearly marked” as the consulate.

Alex Woodward has the full story:

ICE claims Ecuadorian consulate was ‘not clearly marked’ when officers tried to enter

The Trump admin’s ‘F* Around and Find Out’ ethos was never a joke — and Minnesota paid the price

17:15 , Mike Bedigan

Years of Trump-era bravado turned civilian policing into ideological combat, writes Holly Baxter. Now MAGA is discovering what happens when FAFO meets constitutional rights.

Read more here:

Trump admin’s ‘FAFO’ ethos was never a joke — and Minnesota paid the price

Trump boasts of administration's achievements in year one

16:55 , Mike Bedigan

Trump has been monologuing for a while but nothing on the Minnesota situation just yet.

So far we’ve had comments about falling gas prices, plastic eggs and the fact that nobody uses the word “affordability” any more.

Watch along live: Trump cabinet meeting

16:47 , Mike Bedigan

Trump holds first cabinet meeting of 2026

16:42 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump is holding his first full cabinet meeting of 2026.

“Tremendous progress has been made. I want to thank my entire cabinet for 12 months of unprecedented achievements,” the president said, kicking off proceedings.

The situation in Minneapolis is expected to be top of the agenda at the meeting, as well as ongoing tensions in Iran.

Watch: Lawmakers demand release of Liam Conejo Ramos

16:13 , Mike Bedigan

Lawmakers have demanded the release of Liam Conejo Ramos, the five-year-old boy who was detained by federal agents earlier this week.

Images of the child being taken by agents while wearing a blue rabbit hat and a Spider-Man backpack, after returning home from pre-school, have gone viral and sparked outrage.

Watch below:

Homan: 'I didn't come here for photo ops or headlines'

16:05 , Mike Bedigan

Trump border czar told reporters he was not in Minnesota “for photo ops or headlines” but to seek solutions.

“I've heard many people want to know why we're talking to people who they don't consider friends to the administration,” Homan told reports Thursday morning from Minneapolis.

“The bottom line is you can't fix problems if you don't have discussions. I didn't come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines. You haven't seen me. I came here to seek solutions.”

Governor Tim Walz praised his first face-to-face meeting with Homan, calling him “professional.”

”The thing we said is, we're very clear about this, that we need these folks out of Minnesota. I think it's that's that's progress,” Walz said.

“But they started this fire, so we're not giving anybody credit for putting it out.”

Judge blocks ICE arrests of Minnesota refugees who were ‘subjected to terror’

15:48 , Mike Bedigan

A federal judge in Minnesota has blocked immigration officers from arresting and detaining recently resettled refugees in the state after a lawsuit accused agents of “hunting” them down and sending them to a detention center in Texas.

The order from Minnesota District Judge John Tunheim also commands the administration to immediately release any detained refugees and return them to their homes in Minnesota.

Alex Woodward had more:

Judge blocks ICE arrests of Minnesota refugees who were ‘subjected to terror’

Watch: 'No agency is perfect' says Homan

15:20 , Mike Bedigan

Bruce Springsteen slams ‘King Trump’ and ‘federal thugs’ in new Minneapolis protest song

15:05 , Joe Sommerlad

The Boss, one of the staunchest Trump critics in music, has released a new song dedicated to Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

In “Streets of Minneapolis,” Springsteen hurls insults at Trump and his ICE agents’ ongoing invasion of the Minnesota city with pointed lyrics about “King Trump” and his “private army.”

Caitlin Hornik reports.

Bruce Springsteen slams ‘King Trump’ and ‘federal thugs’ in Minneapolis protest song

Melania Trump insists her husband is a ‘unifier’

14:45 , Joe Sommerlad

The first lady has been speaking to Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business this morning, attempting to promote her new Amazon film at a very inopportune political moment, and had this to say about her husband.

Democratic attorneys general fire back at Bondi’s ‘threatening’ letter to Minnesota

14:25 , Joe Sommerlad

Twenty-two Democratic attorneys general have blasted Attorney General Pam Bondi in a letter demanding the Trump administration stop what they call an effort to “exploit” the Minnesota chaos with a voter suppression campaign.

“The federal government is asking us to accept a belated justification for its unlawful actions in Minnesota,” said New York Attorney General James.

“We refuse to be intimidated by these threats, and we reject their unlawful demands that infringe on Minnesota’s fundamental sovereignty.

“My fellow attorneys general and I will continue to stand firm in defense of the rule of law and Americans’ rights.”

In the letter, the attorneys general sadid Bondi’s demands for voter data and SNAP and Medicaid data is “inconsistent with fundamental principles of our federal system.”

Her demands amount to an attempt to “terrify the people of Minnesota and coerce the state into abandoning” its residents, they wrote.

(Getty)

Homan concludes his remarks

14:04 , Joe Sommerlad

The official steps away from the lectern and departs after a gruff and low energy performance.

Homan sought to offer a dramatic tonal shift compared to what we’ve seen lately from the likes of Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino, who preferred to keep things combative.

Homan blames Biden administration for failing to secure border

13:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Now taking questions from the press, the official works hard to blame President Joe Biden for four years of alleged complacency at the southern border, arguing Donald Trump inherited a problem he had to address.

Watch: Homan delivers first press conference as ICE lead in Minneapolis

13:47 , Joe Sommerlad

Here are a few highlights from what we’ve heard so far.

Homan reminds public that ICE agents are ‘mothers and fathers too’

13:38 , Joe Sommerlad

Invoking his own experience as an immigration officer, Tom Homan appeals for greater understanding for the pressures his forces are under, against asking for an end to the “rhetoric.”

He insists ICE operates within the law and adds, “if you don’t like a certain law, take it up with Congress.”

He also acknowledges the public’s right to protest under the First Amendment but urges Minnesotans to “keep it peaceful.”

Homan: ‘No agency is perfect – we have recognised certain improvements could and should be made’

13:33 , Joe Sommerlad

The official offers a mea culpa on behalf of the administration but insists “we are not surrendering the president’s mission.”

Homan backs ‘common sense’ approach to tackling immigrant crime

13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The border czar argues that improved cooperation with ICE will mean fewer agents required on the streets, pointedly adding that hostility to federal forces places greater strain on law enforcement required to help keep the peace.

Homan: ‘You can’t fix problems if you don’t have discussions’

13:24 , Joe Sommerlad

The border czar says he has met with a great number of state and city officials this week, including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and acknowledges that they had many disagreements but that all agreed that safety was of paramount importance.

Homan: ‘I’m staying until the problem’s gone’

13:22 , Joe Sommerlad

Speaking in Minneapolis just now, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan complains that it’s “too early” and that he dislikes giving speeches.

He says he has only been on the ground for less than three days but, already, progress has been made.

Homan due to speak shortly

13:07 , Joe Sommerlad

We’re expecting Trump’s border czar Tom Homan to begin his press conference from Minneapolis any moment.

Stay tuned.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar announces run for Minnesota governor

12:55 , Joe Sommerlad

Seizing the moment, the veteran senator has announced her run for the governor’s mansion in place of Tim Walz.

“Minnesotans, we’ve been through a lot,” she says. “And I believe this moment calls for grit, resilience, and faith in each other. I believe we must stand up for what’s right. And fix what’s wrong.”

ICE and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti feature prominently in her launch video.

Ilhan Omar accuses Trump of having dementia and says president is ‘obsessed’ with her

12:40 , Joe Sommerlad

The Minnesota congresswoman has suggested that the president has dementia and is “obsessed” with her.

Omar was attacked at a town hall event in Minneapolis Tuesday evening by a man bearing a syringe containing a “foul smelling liquid” that appears to have been apple cider vinegar.

She was unharmed but the incident came not long after Trump had again been criticizing her in a speech in Des Moines, Iowa.

“The man that attacked me was specifically upset that Trump’s order to deport Somalis was not yielding enough deportations of Somalis,” Omar told reporters.

“So he wanted to come and get the person he thought was protecting the Somalis. Well, we are protected by the Constitution.”

She went on to suggest the abuse and threats she receives have been fuelled by Trump’s repeated public vilification of her.

Harry Cockburn reports.

Ilhan Omar accuses Trump of having dementia and says president is ‘obsessed’ by her

NRA attacks Trump after he says Alex Pretti should not have had a gun

12:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The National Rifle Association, the country’s biggest gun lobby, appears to have pushed back on the president’s assertion that Pretti “shouldn’t have been carrying a gun.”

“The NRA unequivocally believes that all law-abiding citizens have a right to keep and bear arms anywhere they have a legal right to be,” the group wrote on X following Trump’s remarks, without making direct reference to his comments.

Katie Hawkinson has more.

NRA attacks Trump after he says Alex Pretti should not have had a gun

ICE halts ‘enhanced activities’ in Maine

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Republican Sen. Susan Collins has said that she has spoken to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and had confirmation that there are “currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations” planned for her state.

Minnesota Attorney General says he does not know the names of the agents placed on leave over Pretti shooting

11:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Keith Ellison was asked by a Minneapolis small business owner on CNN if he had the names of the CBP men who killed Alex Pretti and answered that he did not.

“It feels like a cover-up Kevin,” he answered.

“I would never want to say that about our federal government but, over these past days, I’m not going to ignore the evidence that’s in front of my face.”

Who is Tom Homan?

11:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s an introduction to the man tasked with restoring order to Operation Metro Surge after the disastrous events of this month.

Who is Tom Homan? Trump’s border czar heading to Minneapolis amid protests

Tom Homan to hold press conference

11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The president’s border czar, who was sent to Minneapolis Monday to assume control of immigration operations in the city after Greg Bovino was stood down, will deliver remarks at around 8 a.m. GMT (1 p.m. GMT).

We’ll bring you everything he has to say as it happens right here.

(Getty)

Watch: New video shows Alex Pretti confronting federal agents 11 days before fatal shooting

10:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s a look at the new footage of Pretti that emerged yesterday, which the deceased’s family has since confirmed is indeed him.

Trump shares conspiracies on Minneapolis, immigration and 2020 election in latest late night Truth Social spree

10:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The president went on another of his occasional late night social media jaunts last night, reposting comments from friends and well-wishers more than 50 times in the space of just a few hours.

On Minnesota, he reposted a claim alleging that the outraged citizens taking to the streets to protest the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti are in fact paid agitators, for which there is no credible evidence.

The post read:

“James O’Keefe has now CONFIRMED that the Minnesota rioters are bought and paid for – to the tune of TENS OF MILLIONS of dollars. There is a ‘network’ of NGOs and activist groups funding it. We all knew it. Astroturfing is going on.”

The president also posted the new footage of Pretti’s earlier clash with agents from an account scornfully rejecting the idea that the deceased had been a “peaceful protester.”

Another of his reposts accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of “whipping up rage” against ICE.

Owen Scott takes a closer look.

Trump rages over Minneapolis, immigration and 2020 election in Truth Social spree

‘Trump saw it wasn’t playing well’: White House insiders on the chaotic response to Alex Pretti shooting

10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The president is reported to have paced the halls of the White House Saturday afternoon and spent the day watching TV coverage of events in Minnesota, quickly realising his administration’s account of what happened to Pretti was not being accepted by the public as eyewitness video of his death was widely viewed online.

“He’s the smartest guy I know, and he saw it wasn’t playing well,” a Republican lawmaker has since said. “The visuals were not playing well. He understands TV… He saw it for himself.”

Here’s a closer look at how the administration’s messaging about the second killing of an American citizen in a month backfired so disastrously.

White House insiders on the chaotic response to Alex Pretti shooting in Minneapolis

Two federal agents in Minneapolis shot at Alex Pretti. DHS report says he did not brandish his gun

09:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Two government immigration agents fired at Pretti during Saturday’s fatal shooting in the Minnesota city, according to a preliminary review by a Department of Homeland Security internal watchdog, which made no mention of the intensive care nurse brandishing a weapon before he was killed.

The preliminary review, conducted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, was sent to Congress Tuesday and appeared to contradict claims made by the Trump administration in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was quick to claim that Pretti had been “brandishing” a weapon before the two Border Patrol agents fired while her department also issued a statement that claimed without evidence that the 37-year-old had wanted to “massacre law enforcement.”

The review, based on body camera footage and documents, provides the first official timeline of how events unfolded that day.

Rhian Lubin reports.

Two federal agents shot at Alex Pretti. He did not brandish his gun, DHS report finds

Pictures from overnight vigil held in Minneapolis

08:42 , Sam Rkaina

A candlelight vigil was held at the site where Alex Pretti was killed Wednesday night.

The event, organized by health care workers, was held to remember the lives of both Pretti and Renee Good.

(Getty)
(Getty)
(Getty)

ANALYSIS: Democrats offer an ultimatum to GOP: Fix ICE or face another government shutdown

08:00 , Eric Garcia

Another week, another looming government spending deadline.

In the wake of the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the weekend, Democrats are demanding Republicans put a list of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement into a spending bill lest there be another government shutdown.

Almost as soon as Customs and Border Protection officials shot and killed Pretti, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Democrats would oppose the government funding bill if it included money for the Department of Homeland Security, which houses both ICE and CBP.

Schumer made the demands even more concrete on Wednesday: ending the roving patrols of ICE agents in cities like Minneapolis; requiring search warrants; cooperation with state and local law enforcement; a uniform code of accountability; removing masks for ICE agents and body cameras.

Read on...

Democrats offer an ultimatum to GOP: Fix ICE or face another government shutdown

Judge blocks ICE arrests of Minnesota refugees who were ‘subjected to terror’

07:30 , Alex Woodward

A federal judge in Minnesota has blocked immigration officers from arresting and detaining recently resettled refugees in the state after a lawsuit accused agents of “hunting” them down and sending them to a detention center in Texas.

The order from Minnesota District Judge John Tunheim also commands the administration to immediately release any detained refugees and return them to their homes in Minnesota.

In his ruling on Wednesday night, Tunheim notes that the lawsuit involves refugees who have been “carefully and thoroughly vetted” before they were accepted into the United States, because of persecution in the countries from which they have come.”

“They are not committing crimes on our streets, nor did they illegally cross the border,” he added.

Read on...

Judge blocks ICE arrests of Minnesota refugees who were ‘subjected to terror’

Republican Minnesota lawmaker gets laughed at for saying Trump is 'constantly' extending the 'olive branch'

07:00 , Rachel Dobkin

Minnesota state Senator Michael Holmstrom, a Republican, said at a CNN town hall Wednesday night that President Donald Trump, known for his combative rhetoric toward opponents, is “constantly” extending the “olive branch.”

“The olive branch is constantly extended, and it’s swatted away because of anger and resentment,” Holmstrom said.

The audience then erupted into laughter.

Watch: Minneapolis mayor says video appearing to show Alex Pretti confronting federal agents doesn’t justify fatal shooting

06:30 , Rachel Dobkin

Two federal agents involved in Alex Pretti's killing have been on administrative leave since Saturday: report

06:27 , Rachel Dobkin

The two federal agents involved in the killing of Alex Pretti have been on administrative leave since Saturday, the Associated Press reported, citing the Department of Homeland Security.

DHS had confirmed to The Independent that the two officers were on administrative leave, as is the standard protocol for the agency.

Pretti was fatally shot by Border Patrol in Minneapolis last Saturday.

Fox News analyst says Trump's deportation efforts have 'hit its political limits' after poll finds ICE tactics 'too aggressive' for most voters

06:00 , Rachel Dobkin

Fox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume has said that President Donald Trump's deportation efforts have “hit its political limits” after a new poll finds that the tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are “too aggressive” for most voters.

“The republic’s response to what it is seeing on its TV screens and reading about in publications and so forth suggests that people, they want the border closed, they want criminal illegals rounded up, but they see these scenes in the street, particularly the two killings in Minnesota and they see people who seem otherwise innocent, although they may be here illegally, rounded up, they don’t like that,” Hume told Bret Baier on Special Report Wednesday.

A new poll from Fox News found that 59 percent of registered voters felt ICE was too aggressive in carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign promise of the largest deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history.

Majority of voters say ICE is too aggressive in Fox News poll

05:30 , Rachel Dobkin

A majority of voters say Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation efforts are too aggressive, according to a Fox News poll.

The poll found that 59 percent of registered voters felt ICE was too aggressive in carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign promise of the largest deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history.

Another 24 percent said ICE’s tactics were about right and 17 percent said the agents weren’t aggressive enough.

While the poll was being taken, federal agents fatally shot a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis for the second time this month.

Ilhan Omar reacts to Trump suggesting her spray attack was staged

04:40 , Rachel Dobkin

Representative Ilhan Omar has reacted to President Donald Trump suggesting that the attack that led to her being sprayed with a substance at a town hall in Minneapolis Tuesday was staged.

“This is also somebody who was talking about me in his town hall in Iowa. And then seems to exhibit some sort of dementia when he says he doesn't think about me. Maybe it is time for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, because he certainly cannot remember what he said and has done an hour ago,” Omar told host Kaitlan Collins.

The 25th Amendment says the vice president shall become president if the president dies, resigns or is removed from office.

During a speech in Clive, Iowa, Tuesday, Trump continued his verbal attacks against Omar, a Somali immigrant, whom the president accused of not being “proud” of America.

When asked by ABC if he had seen the video of Omar being attacked, Trump said, “No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”

Stephen Miller rages against judge's order blocking Trump administration from arresting refugees in Minnesota

04:20 , Rachel Dobkin

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has raged against a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from arresting recent refugees in Minnesota.

“The judicial sabotage of democracy is unending,” Miller wrote on X Wednesday.

Democrat says Renee Good and Alex Pretti are 'victims of homicidal state terror'

04:00 , Rachel Dobkin

Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, has called Renee Good and Alex Pretti “victims of homicidal state terror.”

Good and Pretti were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in two separate incidents this month. The Trump administration has framed both shootings as self-defense amid public outcry over the Department of Homeland Security’s tactics.

Walz qustions whether federal agents involved in Alex Pretti killing are off the streets

03:47 , Rachel Dobkin

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has doubted whether the federal agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti are off the streets.

The Department of Homeland Security announced earlier Wednesday that two agents involved in Pretti’s killing in Minneapolis over the weekend have been placed on administrative leave per protocol.

In an interview with MS NOW, Walz said he doesn’t know the identity of the agents and “I don't know if I believe they're on leave.”

“I don't know they're not on our streets,” the governor said.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has doubted whether the federal agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti are off the streets (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Tim Walz said Trump talked to him about Venezuela in Minnesota talk

03:40 , Rachel Dobkin

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said in a new interview that President Donald Trump talked to him about Venezuela during a conversation about his state.

Amid growing tensions over Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, the president and Walz had a phone call Monday.

Walz told MS NOW Wednesday that during their discussion on immigration, Trump brought up his operation in Venezuela, where the U.S. captured now-disposed President Nicolás Maduro.

“I’m not sure what gave him the indication that at this point in time, what’s happening with my state that I’m interested in Venezuela, but he told me how well that went,” the governor said.

Walz added, “He saw an operation in Venezuela against a foreign nation in the same context he saw an operation in a U.S. state in a U.S. city.”

Shortly after his phone call with Walz, Trump wrote on Truth Social:”We have had such tremendous SUCCESS in Washington, D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and virtually every other place that we have ‘touched’ and, even in Minnesota, Crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!”

Trump shares new video appearing to show Alex Pretti confronting federal agents

03:20 , Rachel Dobkin

President Donald Trump has shared on Truth Social the newly released video of Alex Pretti confronting federal agents days before he was killed.

Trump also shared posts claiming Pretti wasn't a “peaceful protester.”

One post from MAGA political commentator Gunther Eagleman read, “This wasn’t some ‘peaceful protester.’ He was a domestic terrorist!” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also accused Pretti of “domestic terrorism.”

Pretti was fatally shot in Minneapolis over the weekend by Border Patrol after getting into a confrontation with agents.

“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” the Pretti family said in a statement following the fatal shooting. “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”

Ilhan Omar said she's 'fortunate' she didn't get to suspected attacker before her security did

03:05 , Rachel Dobkin

Representative Ilhan Omar told CNN Wednesday that she's “fortunate” she didn't get to her suspected attacker before her security did.

“I’m fortunate I didn’t get to him because I’d probably be catching charges as well,” the Minnesota Democrat told host Kaitlan Collins.

At a town hall in Minneapolis Tuesday, Omar was speaking out against the Department of Homeland Security when a man sprayed her with a substance. Omar began to raise her fist at the man before her security tackled him.

After the incident, U.S. Capitol Police said, “We are now working with our federal partners to see this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this kind of violence in our society.”

John Thune lays out what's at stake as partial government shutdown looms

02:40 , Rachel Dobkin

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has laid out what's at stake as a partial government shutdown looms.

Democrats are demanding reforms to the immigration enforcement side of the Department of Homeland Security for their support on a bill to fund the agency.

“The DHS bill not only funds ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and Border Patrol, but it also funds FEMA and TSA and the Coast Guard and CISA, which deals with cybersecurity for the country, so a lot of pretty important stuff,” Thune told reporters Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

He added: “A government shutdown is not in anybody’s interest.”

Congress has until midnight on Saturday to pass a bill funding DHS and get it signed by President Donald Trump to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Republican defends Stephen Miller, calls Minnesota 'lawless'

02:21 , Rachel Dobkin

Senator Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, has defended White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and called Minnesota a “lawless state.”

When asked by independent immigration journalist Pablo Manríquez if he has lost confidence in Miller, Marshall said, “No, not at all.

“I think he’s doing a great job. The president’s number one thing he ran on was securing the border and making our families safe. And I know Mr. Miller has been a big part of that,” according to a recording of the conversation shared by MeidasTouch Network.

Senator Roger Marshall has defended White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and called Minnesota a 'lawless state' (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol in Minneapolis over the weekend, Miller called the 37-year-old nurse a “would-be assassin,” without providing evidence.

“People [in Minnesota] are saying that they’re not safe due to his policies. What is your message to people who are very, very concerned?” Manríquez asked Marshall.

The senator replied, “I think that Minnesota is the consequence of a lawless state,” adding, “Many states are having lots more illegal aliens removed without the conflicts that there are in Minnesota.”

“And all that being said, I have all the sympathy in the world for the loss of life, and I want things to cool down,” Marshall added.

Rideshare driver shares encounter with Greg Bovino in Minneapolis over ‘his accent’

02:00 , Mike Bedigan

A rideshare driver in Minneapolis has described his encounter with Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino after being questioned by federal agents over his accent.

“It was very obvious to me by the way Border Patrol was acting with me unprofessionally, that they really didn't care about my identity,” Ahmed Bin Hassan told CNN on Thursday.

“[An agent] said, ‘You know what? I know you're not an American citizen, and I demand that you show me proof of that … What's making me ask you this stuff is, you do not sound like me… You don't have the same accent as me.’

“So I was shocked. I was startled. And I said, ‘Are we using accents now to verify citizenship?’ It was just absurd to hear that.”

Read on...

Rideshare driver shares encounter with Greg Bovino in Minneapolis over ‘his accent’

Mayor Frey reacts to video that appears to show Alex Pretti confronting ICE days before shooting

01:36 , Rachel Dobkin and Brendan Rascius

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has reacted to a video that appears to show Alex Pretti confronting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents days before he was fatally shot by Border Patrol.

“I actually haven't yet seen the video, but are we actually making the argument that Alex Pretti should be killed for something that happened, like 11 days prior to the shooting itself? Now I think we should be talking about the circumstances that actually led to the killing and what took place,” Frey said at a CNN town hall Wednesday night.

A video published by The News Movement, a digital media company, seemed to show Pretti kicking a government vehicle and being tackled to the ground on a city street on January 13.

The BBC reported on Wednesday that the man in the video “has the same coat, facial hair and gait as Alex Pretti and a facial recognition tool suggests a 97% match.”

Pretti’s family has also confirmed to CNN that the man in the video is Pretti.

Mayor Frey says Border Patrol agents violated 'a common sense of humanity' in Alex Pretti shooting

01:24 , Rachel Dobkin

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a CNN town hall Wednesday night that Border Patrol agents violated “a common sense of humanity” in the confrontation that led to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.

Moderator Sara Sidner mentioned that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has told CNN that agents involved in the shooting may not have been following protocol.

“It's not just protocol that was violated, it's a common sense of humanity,” Frey said.

New video appears to show Alex Pretti confronting ICE 11 days before fatal shooting

01:20 , Brendan Rascius

Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse fatally shot by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, appeared to confront federal agents less than two weeks before his death, newly published video footage appears to show.

A video published by The News Movement, a digital media company, seemed to show Pretti kicking a government vehicle and being tackled to the ground on a city street on January 13.

The BBC reported on Wednesday that the man in the video “has the same coat, facial hair and gait as Alex Pretti and a facial recognition tool suggests a 97% match.”

Read on...

Alex Pretti appeared to confront ICE agents days before he was shot, video shows

Mayor Frey voices what he hopes for after Tom Homan meeting

01:12 , Rachel Dobkin

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has spoken about what he hopes for after meeting with President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan.

“My hope, my expectation, is that the troops and the agents we're seeing will be drawn down. My hope and my expectation is the conduct that has caused so much chaos on our streets will end, but again, I'll believe it when I see it,” Frey said at CNN’s Wednesday night town hall amid the immigration crackdown in his city.

Mayor Frey calls for a 'full and fair investigation' into Alex Pretti shooting

01:08 , Rachel Dobkin

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for a “full and fair investigation” into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti at the hands of Border Patrol.

“What we need to see is a full and fair investigation,” Frey said at a CNN town hall Wednesday night. “I believe that to get a full and fair investigation, you need to have some other entity beyond the Department of Justice and this federal administration that's at the table actually reviewing evidence.”

Senator says Noem and Miller are doing Trump a 'great disservice'

01:00 , Rachel Dobkin

When asked about Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s reaction to the killing of Alex Pretti, Senator Thom Tillis sais they are doing President Donald Trump a “great disservice.”

Immediately after Pretti was fatally shot by Border Patrol in the streets of Minneapolis last Saturday, Miller accused him of being a “would-be assassin” and Noem claimed he “committed an act of domestic terrorism.” The public has not been provided with evidence to back up these claims.

“They're doing the American people and the president a great disservice by not realizing how much attention is focused on these operations and how details and discipline matter,” Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, told CNN’s Jake Tapper Wednesday. “They spoke before they knew anything about what occurred on the ground."

Minnesota Democrat demands ICE leaves her state

00:40 , Rachel Dobkin

Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents leave her state after federal officers fatally shot two Americans in Minneapolis this month.

Speaking about the latest incident, which took the life of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti, Klobuchar said on the Senate floor, "This has turned into a [Department of Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem and [Border Patrol chief] Greg Bovino-driven shock and awe public spectacle meant to intimidate our state.”

Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, has demanded that ICE leave her state (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

In the aftermath of the shooting, Noem called Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” and Bovino said he “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” The public has not been provided with evidence to back up these claims.

“There are 3,00 federal officers in Minnesota, and I cannot state it more unequivocally, ICE must leave Minnesota,” Klobuchar added.

Republican senator condemns Ilhan Omar being sprayed with substance

00:20 , Rachel Dobkin

Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, has condemned an incident at Representative Ilhan Omar’s town hall in Minneapolis Tuesday night, where the Minnesota Democrat was sprayed with an unknown substance.

“You can dislike someone’s positions, you can be vocal about that. If you wanna protest somebody, fine. Have at it. But disrupting their meetings, their rallies, their town halls and assaulting them. I mean — no way,” Hawley told CNN’s Manu Raju.

Family of Alex Pretti retains lawyers who helped prosecute the George Floyd case

00:00 , Michael Biesecker

The parents of Alex Pretti have retained a former federal prosecutor who helped Minnesota’s attorney general convict the police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck of murder.

Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, was shot multiple times on Saturday as he was filming Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation.

Steve Schleicher, a partner at the Minneapolis firm Maslon, is an experienced litigator who served as a special prosecutor for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in the 2021 trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Read on...

Family of Alex Pretti retains lawyers who helped prosecute the George Floyd case

Trump to hold cabinet meeting tomorrow: report

Wednesday 28 January 2026 23:40 , Rachel Dobkin

President Donald Trump is set to hold a cabinet meeting Thursday, a senior White House official told NewsNation.

Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from arresting refugees in Minnesota

Wednesday 28 January 2026 23:17 , Alex Woodward

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from arresting recent refugees in Minnesota after Homeland Security launched an operation to target lawfully present refugees who came into the country during Biden’s presidency.

The temporary order remains in effect while the judge considers a longer injunction.

“It is also essential to emphasize that the refugees impacted by this Order are carefully and thoroughly vetted individuals who have been invited into the United States because of persecution in the countries from which they have come,” Judge John Tunheim wrote Wednesday night.

“They are not committing crimes on our streets, nor did they illegally cross the border,” he added. “Refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, a right to work, a right to live peacefully — and importantly, a right not to be subjected to the terror of being arrested and detained without warrants or cause in their homes or on their way to religious services or to buy groceries. At its best, America serves as a haven of individual liberties in a world too often full of tyranny and cruelty. We abandon that ideal when we subject our neighbors to fear and chaos.”

Photos of Minneapolis today

Wednesday 28 January 2026 23:00 , Rachel Dobkin

A federal officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A makeshift memorial where Alex Pretti was fatally shot by Border Patrol (REUTERS/Seth Herald)
A woman stops at a memorial for Pretti, an ICU nurse, outside the VA Medical Center (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Pam Bondi in Minneapolis amid Trump's immigration staff shakeup

Wednesday 28 January 2026 22:40 , Rachel Dobkin

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she is “on the ground” in Minneapolis Wednesday as President Donald Trump shakes up the presence of immigration officials in the city.

Trump sent his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minnesota earlier in the week as Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino was expected to leave Minneapolis.

Attorney General Pam Bondi is in Minneapolis (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The president told Fox News Tuesday, “Bovino’s very good but he’s a pretty out there kind of a guy, and in some cases that’s good, maybe it wasn’t good here.”

The shakeup comes after the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month.

John Thune says proposed DHS funding bill cuts ICE's budget. Is that true?

Wednesday 28 January 2026 22:20 , Rachel Dobkin

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said that the House-passed Department of Homeland Security funding bill would actually cut Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s budget.

“The Democrats have raised an objection with the DHS funding bill. Now, the ironic thing about that, obviously, is that the DHS funding bill, actually, if enacted, would spend less on ICE...than would a Continuing Resolution, which would be a bill to fund the government for the full year at current spending levels,” Thune told reporters Wednesday.

Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee said earlier this month that the DHS bill would cut funding for ICE enforcement and removal operations by $115 million, while the agency's overall budget would remain flat.

Elizabeth Warren urges Senators on both sides to 'stop bankrolling ICE's abuses'

Wednesday 28 January 2026 22:00 , Rachel Dobkin

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, has urged her colleagues on both sides of the political aisle to “stop bankrolling ICE’s abuses.”

Democrats in the Senate are refusing to back a House-passed spending bill to keep the government open because of the Department of Homeland Security funding included.

“Help the Democrats put meaningful constraints on ICE,” Warren said. “Help our people be safe.”

Warren’s comments come after the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month. DHS has framed the shootings as self-defense.

Watch: Trump says he feels worse over the killing of Renee Good than Alex Pretti because her parents 'were Trump fans'

Wednesday 28 January 2026 21:40 , Rachel Dobkin

Texas Democrat visits five-year-old detained by ICE

Wednesday 28 January 2026 21:21 , Rachel Dobkin

Representative Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, has shared a photo of his visit with preschooler Liam Conejo Ramos, who was detained with his father by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota last week.

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from immediately deporting Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias. They are currently at an ICE detention center in Texas.

Two federal agents involved in Alex Pretti's killing have been on administrative leave since Saturday: report

Wednesday 28 January 2026 21:01 , Rachel Dobkin

The two federal agents involved in the killing of Alex Pretti have been on administrative leave since Saturday, the Associated Press reported, citing the Department of Homeland Security.

DHS had confirmed to The Independent that the two officers were on administrative leave, as is the standard protocol for the agency.

Pretti was fatally shot by Border Patrol in Minneapolis last Saturday.

Chuck Schumer’s list of demands for DHS

Wednesday 28 January 2026 20:40 , Rachel Dobkin

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has laid out a list of demands for the Department of Homeland Security. They are as follows, according to reporters on Capitol Hill:

  • End roving patrols of federal immigration agents
  • Enforce a uniform code of conduct for all law enforcement
  • Require agents to carry ID, turn their body cameras on and take their masks off
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