At least six individuals have lost their lives during the enforcement actions on immigration by the Trump administration in the United States. The most recent fatality occurred when ICE agents in Minneapolis fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, firing 10 rounds within five seconds while he was protesting their presence in the city. Witnesses reported providing CPR to Mr. Pretti, who sustained at least three gunshot wounds in his back.
Following the incident, Alex’s parents, Michael and Susan, criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noemi’s statement that the agents acted in self-defense after Alex allegedly displayed violent behavior. The parents denounced the administration’s claims as false and accused ICE agents of unjustly attacking their son without cause.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has demanded the removal of ICE agents from Minneapolis, condemning their actions as utterly disgraceful. This shooting comes shortly after another deadly incident in the same city. Alex Pretti’s death marks the second fatality in January related to immigration raids in Minneapolis, with Renee Good being fatally shot, including a shot to the head, by an ICE officer on January 7. Video footage indicates that Good was shot while turning her vehicle away from the officer.
The Trump administration has defended the actions of the ICE officer involved in Good’s shooting, asserting that the officer’s life was at risk. Good’s death has sparked outrage in Minnesota, with the US Justice Department refusing to share details of the incident with state authorities. In a separate incident, Silverio Villegas Gonzalez was fatally shot during a traffic stop in suburban Chicago by ICE agents. The 38-year-old Mexican line cook had dropped off a child at daycare that morning.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that agents were pursuing a man with a history of reckless driving who was in the country illegally when Villegas Gonzalez allegedly evaded arrest and dragged an officer with his vehicle. Investigations into Villegas Gonzalez’s death are ongoing. Additionally, other incidents involving fatalities during immigration enforcement include the death of Jaime Alanis, who fell and broke his neck while being rounded up by authorities at a California farm, and Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, who was hit by a vehicle while fleeing immigration officers in California.
Josue Castro Rivera, a 24-year-old from Honduras, was fatally struck by a pickup truck on a Virginia highway as he tried to escape authorities during a traffic stop. He was en route to a gardening job with three passengers when ICE officers pulled over their vehicle.