Alex Pretti reportedly had at least one previous encounter with federal immigration officials before he was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents on Saturday.
About a week before his death, federal officers tackled Pretti, breaking one of his ribs as he was shouting and blowing a whistle while agents were attempting to make arrests in Minneapolis, CNN first reported.
Anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters have commonly used whistles to alert passers-by to the presence of immigration enforcement agents in the area.
Federal immigration agents have kept a record of the individuals they have interacted with, according to CNN, but the Department of Homeland Security said it did not have a record of a prior confrontation with Pretti.
Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, the second fatal shooting by immigration enforcement agents in the area in less than three weeks.
The incident is under investigation and has sparked calls for a reduced federal immigration presence not only in Minneapolis but other cities and states across the country. Pretti’s death occurred after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement-involved shooting in Minneapolis killed 37-year-old Renee Good on Jan. 7.
Federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis have been met with opposition protests and demonstrations.
ICE agents are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults and an 8,000% increase in death threats, according to DHS.
“This unprecedented increase in violence against law enforcement is a direct result of sanctuary politicians and the media creating an environment that demonizes our law enforcement and encourages rampant assaults against them,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement earlier in January.
Following the deaths of Good and Pretti, President Donald Trump announced Monday he was sending border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take over the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called Trump’s decision “good news for peace, safety, and accountability in Minneapolis.”
Homan met with Gov. Tim Walz, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats, on Tuesday. Following the meetings, Homan said everyone agreed on the “need to support our law enforcement officers and get criminals off the streets.”
“While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point and I look forward to more conversations with key stakeholders in the days ahead,” Homan said. “President Trump has been clear: he wants American cities to be safe and secure for law-abiding residents — and they will be.”
