Minnesota Governor Tim Walz held a press conference after a U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti, was fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement action on January 24, 2026.
Walz closed the press briefing by paying tribute to Pretti an intensive care nurse beloved by his community saying that he was a “dedicated ICU nurse and a dear son.”
He urged federal leadership to stop trying to discredit Pretti, noting that Pretti’s family “has suffered enough” as they grieve the loss of their child. Walz criticized efforts to label Pretti as something other than what eyewitness accounts and video evidence show.
“You know what you saw, and then you heard the most powerful people in the world tell you what you were seeing that this was a domestic terrorist,” Walz said, condemning the smearing of Pretti’s name and suggesting that federal agents attempted to hide evidence at the scene.
Walz stressed that someone must be held accountable for the shooting and reiterated his calls for former President Trump to withdraw ICE agents from Minneapolis, criticizing the federal immigration enforcement operation taking place in the city.
“This is a turning point, America,” Walz said. “If we cannot all agree that defaming an American citizen and dismissing what we saw is wrong, then I don’t know what else to tell you
