Trump's ICE U-Turn: President Hints at Pulling Immigration Agents from Minneapolis following Fatal Shooting of Nurse Alex Pretti and Subsequent Protests
Donald Trump has hinted he may pull ICE out of Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of nurse Alex Pretti.
Jan. 26 2026, Updated 7:47 a.m. ET
Donald Trump has hinted ICE agents may be pulled out of Minneapolis following the shooting of nurse Alex Pretti.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Commander-in-Chief has expressed his regret over the killing, which sparked widespread protests in the city, and signaled the presence of agents in Minnesota may be coming to an end.
'I Didn't Like The Shooting'
Trump admitted he 'didn't like shooting' but also says victim should take some of the blame.
The president appeared reluctant to defend the unidentified agent who shot Pretti in broad daylight as he expressed his dismay over the man's death.
He said: "I don't like any shooting. I don't like it.
"But I don't like it when somebody goes into a protest and he's got a very powerful, fully-loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also.
"That doesn't play good either."
Pretti, 37, was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday during a targeted immigration enforcement operation.
Federal officials have claimed Pretti "approached" Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun prior to the fatal shooting — which came just weeks after Renee Good, 37, was shot dead by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Mass Protests In Wake Of Shooting
ICU nurse Pretti's death sparked widespread protests in the city.
Speaking on Sunday, Trump claimed his administration will now investigate Pretti's fatal shooting, as he signaled a willingness to withdraw immigration enforcement officials from Minneapolis.
He added: "We're looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.
"At some point we will leave."
The president also penned a lengthy Truth Social post on Sunday that ordered Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to turn over all criminal immigrants in the state.
Trump called on Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and "EVERY Democrat Governor and Mayor in the US to formally cooperate with the Trump Administration to enforce our Nation's Laws, rather than resist and stoke the flames of Division, Chaos and Violence."
Trump Demands Support Of Minneapolis Leaders
Trump urged Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to turn over all criminal immigrants in the state.
He then ordered Walz and Frey to "turn over all Criminal Illegal Aliens that are currently incarcerated at their State Prisons and Jails to federal authorities."
Trump's orders come after former president Barack Obama condemned the fatal shooting of the intensive care nurse, calling it a "heartbreaking tragedy" and warning that "many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault."
Labeling the incident "a wake-up call to every American," Obama and his wife Michelle urged the Trump administration to work with state and local leaders "to avert more chaos and achieve legitimate law enforcement goals."
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Obama warned 'many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.'
"Federal law enforcement and immigration agents have a tough job. But Americans expect them to carry out their duties in a lawful, accountable way, and to work with, rather than against, state and local officials to ensure public safety," Obama wrote.
"That's not what we're seeing in Minnesota. In fact, we're seeing the opposite.
"For weeks now, people across the country have been rightly outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE recruits and other federal agents acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that seem designed to intimidate, harass, provoke and endanger the residents of a major American city.
