Another US citizen killed during an immigration enforcement operation: what now?

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The protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have not stopped; if anything, recent events have escalated the situation. Over the last few weeks, the city has made headlines worldwide for protests against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its strategy for federal immigration enforcement. Indeed, ICE is the US law enforcement agency in charge of the mass deportation initiative promised by President Trump during his electoral campaign. However, this is not the only agency operating in this field, as its sister agency, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which technically patrols US borders, has also been deployed for this matter, as the roles of these agencies become increasingly blurred. 

The demonstrations reached their peak after the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, by a federal ICE agent. Indeed, on Friday, 23, several businesses closed their doors as part of an economic strike, calling on the federal agency to leave the city. Moreover, the walkout included “unions, faith groups, and educators”, all demanding immediate cessation of ICE action in Minneapolis. 

Despite this, the situation escalated dramatically on Saturday, 24, as another US citizen, the 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti, was murdered by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In the immediate hours after the fact, the Trump administration labeled himas a “would-be assassin” who intended to “massacre law enforcement”, as stated by Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol Commander. Moreover, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Pretti had a gun and resisted the attempts to disarm him.

However, this first version was challenged by “eyewitnesses, local officials and the victim's family”, who pointed out how the victim was actually holding a phone, and not a weapon, as it clearly shows on the video verified by the BBC. Later on, the CBP claimed that the two agents who shot Alex Pretti were put off duty, following standard protocol; however, a contradictory statement came from Bovino, who “told reporters that the agents were still on the job, but working in a different city”. 

What is even more concerning is that “Pretti and Good are far from the only deaths linked to immigration law enforcement”. As reported by Al Jazeera, there are several deaths related to the operations conducted by ICE in the US territory: just in 2025, 32 people have lost their lives in the ICE detention centres, and as of January 27, seven more have died this year. 

Under the Trump administration, the number of people detained in these centres rose to 68,440 people in mid-December; however, “nearly 75% of them had no criminal convictions”. In addition to this, several human rights advocates and lawyers reported the conditions in these facilities to be deteriorating, with concerning unsanitary situations, inadequate food, and poor medical care. However, the DHS rejected these statements, replying that the conditions of the detention centres were not deteriorating. 

Recently, President Trump said that “he intended to ‘de-escalate' in Minneapolis” and Gregory Bovino has been removed from the city of Minneapolis. 

The international community is currently concerned with possible human rights violations, as UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has already called on the US “to ensure that its migration policies and enforcement practices respect human dignity and due process rights, decrying the dehumanising portrayal and harmful treatment of migrants and refugees.” However, this happened before Alex Pretti was killed, and therefore, further developments are awaited on this matter. 

written by Alice Scotti