Minneapolis Erupts After Fatal ICE Shooting Sparks Strike

On a frigid January day in Minneapolis, where the mercury barely climbed above -6 degrees Fahrenheit, the city found itself at the epicenter of a national reckoning. The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, by U.S. Border Patrol officers during a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has ignited protests, a citywide general strike, and fierce debate at the highest levels of government. The events have reverberated far beyond Minnesota, raising uncomfortable questions about federal authority, the use of force, and the boundaries of protest in America.

The sequence of events unfolded rapidly on January 21, 2026. According to eyewitness videos analyzed by multiple news outlets, including Bellingcat and NBC News, Pretti was attending a demonstration against ICE, which had already been under scrutiny following the earlier killing of protester Renee Good. Footage shows Pretti holding a cellphone, documenting the actions of ICE agents, when he stepped forward to help a woman who had just been pushed to the ground. Suddenly, seven agents converged on him, knocking him down, pepper spraying him, and beating him. Amid the chaos, agents discovered Pretti was carrying a concealed handgun—a weapon he was legally permitted to have under Minnesota law. However, witnesses and video evidence indicate that Pretti never brandished the firearm; instead, he continued to hold his phone, his empty left hand raised in a gesture of protection.

As the struggle intensified, an agent in a grey jacket appeared to remove the gun from Pretti’s waistband. Moments later, someone shouted “gun,” and a Border Patrol agent—identified in the footage by a black beanie—fired the first shot. What followed was a rapid succession of nine more shots, all directed at Pretti, who was already pinned to the ground. Bellingcat’s analysis found that Pretti’s gun never discharged; the weapon’s slide did not move, and the first shot came unmistakably from a federal agent, not from Pretti’s confiscated weapon.

The Department of Homeland Security, however, quickly issued a statement claiming that Pretti “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” citing the fact that he was carrying a semi-automatic handgun and extra ammunition. President Donald Trump echoed this narrative, telling the Wall Street Journal that Pretti’s weapon was “a dangerous and unpredictable gun” and that “it doesn’t play good either,” hinting at the administration’s skepticism about Pretti’s intentions. Yet, as Bellingcat and other independent analysts pointed out, no evidence has surfaced that Pretti ever threatened agents with his firearm.

Pretti’s family, devastated by the loss and the subsequent official statements, issued a scathing rebuttal through a statement to Kare 11. “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs,” they wrote. “He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper-sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”

The killing, the second fatal shooting of a protester by federal agents in Minneapolis that month, sent shockwaves through the city. Despite the bitter cold, hundreds took to the streets to protest Pretti’s death, and a spontaneous outdoor memorial drew a thousand mourners. Anger and grief quickly transformed into action: on January 23, a general strike—unprecedented in contemporary America—brought Minneapolis to a standstill. Labor unions, religious groups, and community organizations rallied under the banner “Day of Truth & Freedom,” calling for “no work, no school, no shopping.” Downtown streets filled with tens of thousands of marchers, and hundreds of small businesses closed in solidarity. Even clergy joined the movement, with a hundred arrested for blocking the airport.

Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, responded by mobilizing the National Guard to maintain order, a move that underscored the gravity of the situation. President Trump, meanwhile, threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act—a rarely used law that would allow him to deploy the U.S. military domestically. In a statement, he accused Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of “inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric.” Yet, as of January 25, no troops had been deployed, though the Justice Department was investigating state officials for allegedly impeding ICE agents.

Inside the White House, the response was no less charged. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted, “Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets,” referencing both Pretti and Renee Good, as well as law enforcement agents and alleged crime victims. Still, Leavitt placed the blame squarely on “elected Democrats,” accusing them of “deliberate and hostile resistance” and of spreading “lies on the work of federal ICE agents.” She urged local authorities to “cooperate with federal agents and Donald Trump’s agenda.”

Behind the scenes, Trump and his aides orchestrated a media blitz. According to The New York Times, Trump posted on social media blaming both Pretti and local law enforcement, while his deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, labeled Pretti a “would-be assassin.” Attorney General Pam Bondi announced federal prosecutors would charge a suspect in a separate finger-biting incident during the protests, further stoking public outrage.

Legal experts quickly weighed in on the president’s threats to invoke the Insurrection Act. Bruce Fein, a former U.S. associate deputy attorney general, warned that such a move “would escalate conflict with private citizens,” potentially deepening the crisis and further eroding public trust in government institutions.

For many in Minneapolis and beyond, the general strike marked a turning point. The city had not seen a general strike since 1934, and no U.S. city had experienced one since Oakland in 1946. The collective action sent a powerful message: resistance to federal overreach and the militarization of immigration enforcement is growing, even in the harshest conditions. As one protester shouted amid the snow, “ICE out.”

Yet, the end of this struggle remains uncertain. The investigations continue, the rhetoric grows hotter, and the city of Minneapolis stands as both a battleground and a symbol—of grief, resistance, and the ongoing fight for justice.