Minneapolis border shooting ignites political crisis as Senate funding vote falters, shutdown looms
Graphic cellphone videos of border patrol agents fatally shooting Alex Pretti outside a Minneapolis coffee shop on Saturday have ricocheted across television and social media, stoking protests and driving an immediate political backlash that threatens to derail funding for the Department of Homeland Security and trigger a government shutdown by Friday.
- Advertisement -
Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital, was killed around 9 a.m. outside the cafe. Senior officials quickly described him as a domestic terrorist who intended to massacre federal agents and said he brandished a weapon and assaulted law enforcement. None of those assertions are visible in the publicly available footage, which shows chaotic moments as agents swarm the scene. In one video filmed at close range, a federal agent appears to remove a handgun from Pretti’s waistband and walk away; a gunshot is heard immediately afterward. Whether Pretti was armed when shots were fired remains in dispute. Officials say an investigation is underway.
On Sunday, Gregory Bovino, a senior border official, doubled down on the government’s account during a lengthy CNN interview. He repeatedly referred to Pretti as “the suspect,” insisted the “victims are the border patrol agents,” and claimed Pretti arrived “to assault, delay and impede officers” after “injecting himself into the situation with a weapon.” Pressed on evidence that Pretti intended to massacre law enforcement, Bovino credited officers’ “fantastic training” with preventing a broader shooting and said the investigation would settle disputed facts. He did not point to footage showing Pretti brandishing a gun.
Bovino also said Second Amendment rights “don’t count when you riot and assault, delay and obstruct.” The National Rifle Association criticized that stance, while Atlantic writer Tyler Austin Harper, who has a concealed-carry permit, wrote that “the purpose of the Second Amendment is the prevention of tyranny,” calling Saturday’s events “tyrannical.”
Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, defended the administration on NBC’s Meet the Press but took a less confrontational tone. He could not confirm that Pretti brandished a firearm and focused blame on Minnesota officials, saying local agencies refused to assist federal operations. Blanche called the situation “very complicated” and “violent,” accusing the host of “gaslighting” for describing the demonstration as peaceful.
On Capitol Hill, Democrats signaled they would block the DHS funding bill over immigration enforcement tactics, an impasse that could shutter the government. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had warned Saturday that the votes were not there. On Sunday, Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts alleged a “cover up” orchestrated by the Trump administration and called for the resignations of Secretary Noem and Bovino. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy called Bovino’s interview “bone-chilling,” saying the administration was “lying to your face when you can see the evidence for yourself.”
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who said she was “absolutely horrified,” described Pretti as a “kind-hearted” nurse devoted to veterans and cited the videos as showing him “brandishing a cellphone” and assisting a woman who had slipped. She said she will vote against DHS funding and noted two of three killings in Minneapolis this year involved federal agents, including the earlier shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer that catalyzed protests. Klobuchar has filed to run for governor in 2026.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton condemned the killings of Pretti and Good; Clinton accused the administration of lying, and Obama said American values were under assault. President Donald Trump, posting on Truth Social, blamed Democrat-led “sanctuary” policies for “ensued chaos,” urged local cooperation with ICE and border patrol, and called on Congress to ban sanctuary jurisdictions.
With public anger surging and lawmakers on edge, the administration faces mounting pressure to release any body-camera or operational footage that could clarify the shooting. Absent that, political fallout is hardening: a high-stakes funding vote, talk of resignations, and a nation watching the same disturbing clips on loop as another week of confrontation over immigration enforcement begins.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
