Border Agents Suspended After Fatal Shooting Sparks Immigration Crackdown Tensions

Agents Placed on Leave Amid Conflicting Statements

The federal agents who were involved in Saturday's deadly shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have been placed on administrative leave, a federal law enforcement official confirmed to CBS News . The development directly contradicts earlier statements from Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who had claimed the agents remained on duty in other locations for their safety.

Two federal officers fired their guns during Alex Pretti's fatal shooting, according to an initial review by the Department of Homeland Security obtained by NBC News . The DHS report said that during the encounter Jan. 24, an officer yelled "He's got a gun!" multiple times and then "approximately five seconds later a BPA [Border Patrol agent] discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a CBPO [Customs and Border Protection officer] also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti."

Minnesota officials said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. He had no criminal record. Videos from the scene verified by CBS News show that Pretti was holding a phone in his right hand, and nothing in his left, before he was shot. Multiple videos also show a federal agent in a gray jacket reaching into the scuffle empty-handed and emerging with a gun in his right hand, turning away from the man when the first shot is fired, then running across the street as more shots are fired.

Previous Confrontation Surfaces

A representative for Alex Pretti's family confirms he is the man seen confronting ICE agents 11 days before his death. The representative also said the family was aware of the incident and that Pretti was injured, but did not receive medical care. A newly released video appears to show 37-year-old Alex Pretti confronting federal immigration officers on a Minneapolis street 11 days before he was fatally shot in another encounter with Customs and Border Protection agents. The video was recorded on Jan. 13 and posted Wednesday by The News Movement, a digital media outlet.

The earlier confrontation showed Pretti spitting at agents and breaking a taillight on an SUV before being tackled to the ground. A lawyer for Pretti's family released a statement that nothing that happened a week before Pretti's death could "have justified Alex's killing."

Attack on Congresswoman Omar

The suspect has been identified by Minneapolis Police as 55-year-old Anthony J. Kazmierczak, multiple outlets reported. He was arrested on suspicion of third degree assault. Police say Kazmierczak used a syringe to spray an unknown liquid at Omar during Tuesday's event after she called for the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the firing or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration enforcement officers.

There was a strong, vinegarlike smell after the man pushed on the syringe, according to an Associated Press journalist who was there. Photos of the device, which fell to the ground when he was tackled, showed what appeared to be a light-brown liquid inside. Preliminary reports indicate the liquid was non-toxic, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said during a press event Wednesday.

Asked on Tuesday if he had seen the video footage, President Trump told ABC News that he had not, but suggested the attack on Omar was staged. Omar is one of a handful of Democrats Trump has repeatedly attacked over the years, and suggested the Congresswoman, who is a U.S. citizen, should be deported.

Escalating Immigration Enforcement Crisis

In December 2025, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began Operation Metro Surge to target the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and Saint Paul) and later expanded to all of Minnesota. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE's parent agency, called it "the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out". Federal agents made more than 3,000 arrests and drew widespread criticism, particularly for "warrantless arrests", "aggressive clashes with protestors", detentions of United States citizens, and shootings.

The killing of Alex Pretti was the third shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in three weeks. On January 7, a federal agent fatally shot Renée Good, an incident that set off protests that drew thousands. The following week, a Venezuelan man, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, was shot in the leg by an immigration officer and survived.

The crisis has prompted bipartisan calls for investigation and accountability. Senate Democrats pledged they won't support the broader funding package that includes money for DHS in the wake of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol Agent in Minneapolis on Saturday, unless there are accountability measures and policy changes included. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said in an interview that Democrats want the DHS funding removed from the larger bill funding other parts of the government, so there can be a separate debate on that issue.