(VOVWORLD) - The US administration said on Wednesday that two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse in Minneapolis, have been placed on administrative leave.
 A woman reacts while standing in front of a portrait of Alex Pretti during a vigil for Pretti, outside the US Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, DC, US, January 28, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard) |
The incident has triggered strong public backlash and become a focal point of debate over US immigration policy.
The officers have been on leave, a move that US officials described as “standard protocol”, since last Saturday, when Alex Pretti was shot multiple times after being forced to the ground during an encounter with ICE agents.
The US Department of Homeland Security said the victim was carrying a gun and posed a threat to law enforcement. But videos recorded by bystanders and widely shared on social media appear to show Pretti holding only a mobile phone and attempting to help a woman who had been knocked down while being restrained by federal agents.
The incident quickly became a flashpoint of tension in Minneapolis, where strong opposition has emerged against the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement campaign.
In an effort to quell the backlash, President Donald Trump reshuffled the leadership of immigration forces deployed in Minneapolis, replacing Greg Bovino, known for his confrontational style and aggressive, televised enforcement actions, with the more policy-focused “border czar” Tom Homan.