Protests Erupt Across U.S. Following Fatal Shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE
Protests erupted in cities across the United States on Friday following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The demonstrations, organized as a national shutdown day, saw dozens of businesses close and tens of thousands of people take to the streets from Los Angeles to New York, according to Time.
The protests were triggered by the death of Pretti and another individual during what organizers described as an aggressive immigration enforcement operation, Time reported. The incidents occurred amid the Trump Administration's "Operation Metro Surge" campaign, which Minneapolis leaders have characterized as an "invasion" of federal immigration enforcement officers, according to Time.
The demonstrations followed a similar state-wide general strike held in Minnesota the previous week, Time noted. Protesters demanded an end to the federal immigration enforcement actions. Organizers called for a national shutdown day of "no school, work, or shopping," Time reported.
The response to a video that surfaced last Wednesday, showing Pretti kicking out the taillight of an ICE vehicle 11 days before his death, has been dismaying, according to Vox. Right-wing influencers reportedly used the incident to justify the shooting. Eric Levitz, a senior correspondent at Vox, described the video as "real – and irrelevant."
Pretti's death sparked a memorial in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 25, 2026, where flowers and candles were placed, according to Getty Images.
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