The deadly shooting of 37‑year‑old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis has blown up into a full‑on political crisis — one that is ripping open fractures within the Republican Party and forcing GOP lawmakers to demand that President Donald Trump pull ICE and other federal agents out of the city immediately.
What was supposed to be a “tough” law‑and‑order move from Trump has instead become a major liability, with members of his own party openly breaking ranks, questioning the administration’s narrative, and calling for both accountability and an end to the aggressive federal presence in Minnesota.
The flashpoint was the weekend killing of Pretti — an American citizen — during a federal immigration operation that has drawn mass protests and widespread scrutiny. Officials initially claimed Pretti approached agents with a gun and posed a threat. But video circulated widely on social media shows him holding a phone, not a weapon, just before he was tackled and shot, raising serious questions about the justification for lethal force.
In the fallout, Republicans who normally would echo the White House line have gone public with sharp criticisms. Rep. James Comer, a prominent Trump ally, urged the president to consider pulling ICE out of Minneapolis — “immediately” — to prevent further loss of “innocent lives” and ease tensions on the ground.
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy called the killing “incredibly disturbing” and said the credibility of ICE and DHS is now at stake, urging a full joint federal and state investigation into the incident.
Even GOP lawmakers who typically defend federal enforcement have signaled they want answers. Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski wrote on X that the killing should raise “serious questions” about training and instruction of federal agents and called for an “independent” investigation into the shooting.
North Carolina Senato Thom Tillis and others have echoed calls for thorough, impartial inquiries to restore confidence in law enforcement practices.
The political backdrop adds to the chaos: nationwide outrage over Pretti’s death is fueling broader criticism of Trump’s interior enforcement tactics and even rising support among some Republicans for more radical shifts in federal immigration policy. A recent poll suggested Republican support for abolishing ICE has ticked upward amid the backlash.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz — a Democrat — has demanded that federal agents be withdrawn from the state, saying the continued presence of untrained immigration officers endangers civilians and escalates violence.
The backlash is now crossing into other arenas. There are signs that the controversy could affect federal budget negotiations, with some lawmakers threatening to leverage Department of Homeland Security funding over disagreements on immigration enforcement strategy.
For Trump, the dissent represents a rare challenge from within his own party’s ranks. Republicans are not merely seeking more information — they are in full panic mode and are publicly demanding that federal immigration enforcement be scaled back or removed entirely from Minneapolis as the 2026 midterms approach.
