'%3E%3Cpath d='M16.3574 35.6519H12.9537L15.0491 18.8873L16.3574 35.6519ZM30.4229 54.0093L22.309 0.994385H7.91795L0 54.0093H10.6634L11.5802 46.3855H17.4014L17.9914 54.0093H30.4229Z' fill='%23971B20'/%3E%3Cpath d='M48.2073 41.8813C48.2073 43.4049 47.4892 44.0011 46.1144 44.0011H43.7595V11.0687H46.1144C47.4892 11.0687 48.2073 11.6636 48.2073 13.1885V41.8813ZM59.5273 43.6695V11.3326C59.5273 3.71323 53.5729 0.994385 47.8157 0.994385H31.7213V54.0093H47.8157C53.5729 54.0093 59.5273 51.29 59.5273 43.6695Z' fill='%23971B20'/%3E%3Cpath d='M90.183 0.994385H78.6039L75.0711 30.6157L71.9955 0.994385H59.4346L69.2474 54.0093H80.373L90.183 0.994385Z' fill='%23971B20'/%3E%3Cpath d='M107.063 42.3448C107.063 43.7359 105.951 44.5974 104.643 44.5974C103.269 44.5974 102.157 43.7359 102.157 42.3448V12.658C102.157 11.2676 103.269 10.4058 104.643 10.4058C105.951 10.4058 107.063 11.2676 107.063 12.658V42.3448ZM119.233 43.2723V11.7312C119.233 6.36384 112.952 -3.8147e-06 104.643 -3.8147e-06C96.2667 -3.8147e-06 89.9867 6.36384 89.9867 11.7312V43.2723C89.9867 48.6393 96.2667 55 104.643 55C112.952 55 119.233 48.6393 119.233 43.2723Z' fill='%23971B20'/%3E%3Cpath d='M150.976 43.9349V33.7309H139.069V42.3448C139.069 43.7359 137.957 44.5974 136.582 44.5974C135.076 44.5974 133.964 43.7359 133.964 42.3448V12.658C133.964 11.2676 135.076 10.4058 136.582 10.4058C137.957 10.4058 139.069 11.2676 139.069 12.658V21.2723H150.976V11.0687C150.976 5.70107 145.283 -3.8147e-06 136.582 -3.8147e-06C127.75 -3.8147e-06 121.796 5.70107 121.796 11.0687V43.9349C121.796 49.3022 127.75 55 136.582 55C145.283 55 150.976 49.3022 150.976 43.9349Z' fill='%23971B20'/%3E%3Cpath d='M167.478 35.6519H164.076L166.17 18.8873L167.478 35.6519ZM181.544 54.0093L173.432 0.994385H159.037L151.123 54.0093H161.785L162.704 46.3855H168.523L169.114 54.0093H181.544Z' fill='%23971B20'/%3E%3Cpath d='M205.412 10.4058V0.994385H177.081V10.4058H185.392V54.0093H197.428V10.4058H205.412Z' fill='%23971B20'/%3E%3Cpath d='M230.002 54.0093V43.9349H218.914V31.8746H226.635V21.8028H218.914V10.4058H230.002V0.994385H206.875V54.0093H230.002Z' fill='%23971B20'/%3E%3C/g%3E%3Cdefs%3E%3CclipPath id='clip0_260_7080'%3E%3Crect width='230' height='55' fill='white'/%3E%3C/clipPath%3E%3C/defs%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=small}
Two federal agents who shot and killed Alex Pretti, a VA ICU nurse, during an immigration enforcement encounter in Minneapolis over the weekend have been placed on administrative leave, according to MS NOW, as the Trump administration faces intensifying scrutiny over its handling of the fatal shooting and its initial claims about what happened.
Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.
Reuters reports that the agents were put on leave following the killing of Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen. The agents who fired their weapons were placed on a three-day administrative leave and were offered access to mental health professionals, a standard procedure for officers involved in fatal shootings, MS NOW reports. The option to meet with a health professional was also extended to all agents present at the scene. If the agents return to work, they will be assigned to modified desk duty and barred from field operations while the investigation remains ongoing, with the possibility of requesting additional time away from duty, the network reports.
The move comes days after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem falsely claimed that Pretti had targeted federal officers. Trump administration officials lied that Pretti had brandished a firearm that he had on his person. Videos from the scene show that Pretti had a cell phone in his hand and never reached for his gun, which he was carrying legally, according to local law enforcement officials.
Related: Minnesotans mourn Alex Pretti, man killed by Border Patrol agents
Related: Queer lawmakers call for ICE to be reined in after killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis
Related: ‘Nothing about what is going on here is normal’: A fight over evidence in Good, Pretti cases
A notice to Congress said two officers fired their weapons during a struggle after an agent repeatedly shouted, “He’s got a gun,” but the government’s preliminary review does not state that Pretti ever brandished a firearm.
Pretti’s killing, the second fatal shooting by immigration agents in Minnesota this month, has become a flashpoint in the administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown. On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed queer mother of three Renee Nicole Good as she tried to drive away from him.
Related: Trump threatens to use Insurrection Act to send the military to Minneapolis after ICE killing
Related: Who was Renee Nicole Good? Remembering the Minneapolis poet and mother killed by ICE
President Donald Trump has since dispatched border czar Tom Homan to take over operations in the state, sidelining Border Patrol commander at-large Gregory Bovino amid growing concerns that federal enforcement actions had escalated beyond control. In an unusual move, the federal government has said that instead of the FBI investigating, as is customary, investigations by Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility are ongoing.
