Blue Press Journal – A deadly shooting by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis has reignited legal and public scrutiny over the aggressive enforcement tactics deployed in Minnesota — tactics that critics say were supercharged during the Trump administration’s “Operation Metro Surge.”
On Saturday evening, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot and killed by federal agents during what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as a “targeted immigration enforcement operation.” DHS officials claim Pretti was armed and violently resisted arrest, but eyewitness testimony included in new court filings paints a starkly different picture.
“He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him,” one witness stated in a sworn declaration.
This incident marks the second fatal shooting linked to federal immigration agents in Minnesota since Operation Metro Surge began, a program critics say represents a dangerous escalation of militarized immigration enforcement in urban communities. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, these tactics have disproportionately impacted peaceful protestors, journalists, and bystanders exercising their First Amendment rights.
Renewed Legal Fight Over Protest Protections
Following the killing, a group of Minnesota residents — plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit against the federal government — urgently returned to court seeking to reinstate restrictions on agents’ protest-response tactics. Their legal team, which includes the ACLU-MN, argues that the shooting proves “escalating, imminent risks” to the public.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez limited federal agents’ use of pepper spray and non-lethal munitions against peaceful demonstrators. The Justice Department quickly challenged the ruling, claiming it endangered officer safety.
On Wednesday, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily lifted those restrictions, siding — at least for now — with federal enforcement priorities. Plaintiffs are now urging the court to restore the injunction, warning that “every hour” without intervention creates new opportunities for harm.
Trump-Era Policies and “Operation Metro Surge”
Operation Metro Surge, initiated during the Trump administration, was part of a nationwide crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Reports from The Washington Post and ProPublica indicate that Trump’s DHS expanded immigration enforcement into previously low-priority cities, increasing raids and surveillance to intimidate immigrant communities and suppress dissent.
In Minnesota, the operation coincided with a rise in confrontations between federal agents and protestors, including documented incidents of excessive force. Civil rights advocates argue that the current administration has failed to roll back many of these aggressive policies, despite promises of reform.
Why This Matters
As the Eighth Circuit weighs the reinstatement of protest protections, Minnesota stands at the center of a critical legal battle — one that could set precedent for how federal agents are allowed to operate in American cities.
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