Unrest intensified in Minneapolis and across the United States on Sunday as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz warned that the nation has reached a “turning point.”
The governor renewed his urgent plea for President Trump to withdraw federal immigration agents from Minneapolis following a string of fatal encounters that have left the city in a state of civil volatility.
The catalyst: The death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis unrest
The political divide has widened following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a veteran’s ICU nurse, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Saturday. Pretti is the second civilian killed by federal agents in the city this month.
While Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed Pretti was shot while “brandishing” a weapon, local authorities and eyewitnesses tell a different story.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara noted that Pretti was a licensed firearm owner—legal under Minnesota law—and suggested the victim was holding a phone, not a gun, when he was fired upon. In a move that signaled a breakdown in inter-agency cooperation, O’Hara told the BBC that federal agents barred local police from the crime scene despite a valid search warrant.
A federal-state standoff
The White House has remained defiant. President Trump took to Truth Social to label Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and called on Democratic leaders to “officially cooperate” with federal law enforcement rather than “fueling the flames of chaos.” Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has subpoenaed Governor Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, alleging a conspiracy to obstruct federal immigration operations.
The backlash has reached the corporate sector, with CEOs from Minnesota giants like 3M, Target, and UnitedHealth Group signing an open letter demanding an immediate de-escalation of tensions.
The friction between the federal government (ICE/DHS) and state governments, in this case Minnesota, involves the Tenth Amendment, which limits federal interference in state policing. The use of “flash-bangs” and tear gas against protesters by masked federal agents is a point of significant legal contention regarding the First Amendment right to peaceful assembly.
Related: Outrage in Minneapolis After ICE Agent Fatally Shoots Woman
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