Minnesota ICE shooting puts new twist on gun rights debate

By Robin LEGRAND
Washington, United States (AFP) Jan 25, 2026

The shooting death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, by federal agents Saturday in Minneapolis has spurred a new kind of debate around gun rights in the United States.

President Donald Trump's administration and law enforcement agencies under him have justified the fatal shooting on the grounds that Pretti was carrying a handgun and acting aggressively when he became entangled with agents during protests against Trump's immigration crackdown.

"We can't have individuals that are impeding law enforcement operations and then showing up with guns and weapons and no ID, and confronting law enforcement," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on "Fox News Sunday."

"That is one of the reasons that we see situations like this unfold," she added.

FBI chief Kash Patel echoed those comments.

"No one who wants to be peaceful shows up at a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines! That is not a peaceful protest," Patel, a close Trump loyalist, said Sunday on Fox.

At least one high-profile politician from the opposition Democrats as well as gun-rights advocacy groups -- who normally stand on opposite sides of the debate -- criticized Trump administration officials for that justification.

The shooting has led to a reversal of sorts in the usual debate around the right to own and carry guns in America. Republican officials normally are staunch defenders of gun rights while Democrats have traditionally fought against the spread of firearms and gun violence in the country.

- Constitutional protection -

The Second Amendment to the US Constitution stipulates that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." For decades, it has been the subject of intense controversy.

The US Supreme Court has repeatedly reaffirmed this right and the right to carry a weapon in public.

In 2023, nearly a third of Americans said they owned a firearm, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

Pretti was one of those gun owners, and legally so, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, who stated the nurse had no criminal record.

- 'Maximum damage' -

But for the Trump administration, Pretti's firearm possession was a critical factor leading to shots fired by Border Patrol agents deployed in Minneapolis to assist immigration police operations.

Shortly after the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security posted a photo of a handgun, presented as the one found on Pretti.

Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino said Saturday that "this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."

Bill Essayli, a federal prosecutor in California, said on X that "if you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don't do it!"

- 'God-given right' -

Such statements were condemned by several gun-rights advocacy groups, including the Gun Owners of America, which rejected the notion that police were justified in shooting people who were legally carrying a firearm.

"The Second Amendment protects Americans' right to bear arms while protesting -- a right the federal government must not infringe upon," the group posted on X.

The National Rifle Association called Essayli's remarks "dangerous and wrong."

"Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens," the NRA, a powerful pro-gun lobby group, said on X.

A rare dissenting voice in the Republican camp of politicians, congressman Thomas Massie, joined in on criticizing federal law enforcement.

"Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it's a Constitutionally protected God-given right," Massie, a regular Trump critic, said on X. "If you don't understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government."

Gavin Newsom, California's Democratic governor, also slammed various officials who justified the agents' actions in Minneapolis.

"The Trump administration does not believe in the Second Amendment," Newsom, widely considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, posted on X.

"Good to know."

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