Tag: minnesota

The Minneapolis Shootings Underline the Advantages of Body Cameras, Which DHS Has Been Slow To Adopt

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reviewing body camera footage of the encounter that culminated in Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti’s death on Saturday. That footage could help clarify the circumstances in which a Border Patrol agent and a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer fatally shot Pretti.

When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross killed Minneapolis protester Renee Good on January 7, by contrast, he used his cellphone rather than a body camera to record the encounter. Although Vice President J.D. Vance claimed the resulting video confirmed that Ross shot Good in self-defense, it does not actually show what was happening when Ross fired his gun. It is not clear whether other ICE agents at the scene were wearing body cameras, but it seems unlikely, since the local ICE office does not have any.

Both incidents underline the importance of body cameras in resolving questions about the use of force by law enforcement officers. But although body cameras have been widely adopted by state and local law enforcement agencies, their use by DHS personnel is spotty and inconsistent. That could change as a result of negotiations between the Trump administration and Democratic legislators, who are demanding several reforms, including a body camera mandate for all immigration agents, as a condition of approving DHS funding.

So far, the only publicly available video record of the Good and Pretti shootings consists of cellphone footage. In both cases, that evidence discredited the Trump administration’s initial justifications, which portrayed Good and Pretti as would-be murderers. The videos suggest that Good, contrary to what President Donald Trump and other officials said, did not deliberately try to run Ross over with her SUV. And they show that Pretti, who had a carry permit, never drew his pistol or “attacked those officers,” contrary to what DHS Secretary Kristi Noem claimed.

The cellphone videos nevertheless leave several questions unanswered. Some of those questions are legal: Did the officers reasonably believe, given “the totality of the circumstances,” that the use of deadly force was necessary to protect themselves, their colleagues, or the general public? But there are also policy questions: What sort of rules or training would help prevent outcomes like these?

Body camera footage could help answer those questions by providing a more complete record of the events preceding the shootings and by showing what the officers were seeing, hearing, and saying. Consider the account of the Pretti shooting that CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) offered in a report to Congress on Tuesday.

After “CBP personnel attempted to take Pretti into custody,” the OPR report says, “Pretti resisted CBP personnel’s efforts and a struggle ensued. During the struggle, a [Border Patrol agent] yelled, ‘He’s got a gun!’ multiple times. Approximately five seconds later, a [Border Patrol agent] discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a [CBP officer] also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti. After the shooting, a [Border Patrol agent] advised he had possession of Pretti’s firearm. The [Border Patrol agent] subsequently cleared and secured Pretti’s firearm in his vehicle.”

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Tampon Tim Walz Says He Will ‘Never Again’ Seek Elected Office — Months After Floating a Presidential Run 

Just over a year after his unsuccessful run for vice-president of the United States, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has said he will “never again” seek elected office.

Walz, who served as Kamala Harris’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election, made the remark during an interview with MS Now.

“I will never run for an elected office again,” he said. “Never again.”

“Look, I recognize that I’m a lightning rod,” he continued.

“I know they hate me personally, and they take it out on my constituents.”

Walz recently announced that he would not seek re-election as governor after it emerged he had overseen billions of childcare fraud at the hands of the state’s large Somali community.

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Full known list of Alex Pretti’s battles with cops revealed before Minneapolis nurse was shot dead by DHS

Alex Pretti clashed at least twice with federal agents before one officer gunned him down, marking the second fatal shooting of a protestor in Minnesota this month. 

A Border Patrol agent shot the 37-year-old intensive care nurse during a scuffle at an a January 24 rally against Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. 

It followed the fatal shooting of mother-of-three Renee Nicole Good by ICE agent Jonathan ‘Jon’ Ross in the same city on January 7. 

In the weeks before the deadly shooting, Pretti had violent skirmishes with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on at least two occasions. 

January 13  

One clash came on January 13 when Pretti was shown on camera daring ICE agents who were carrying pepper spray to ‘soak me, motherf***er’. 

The video shows Pretti shouting ‘f*** you!’ at the agents, before yelling: ‘What the f*** is wrong with you? Every decision you’ve made in your life is f***ing wrong!’  

He also referred to one of the agents as a ‘pepper spray b****’ and ‘f***ing trash’ as the officers climbed into their SUVs to leave the premises. 

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Democrat Somali Declares Minnesota Neighborhood a ‘No-Go Zone’ for White Americans

The promise America made to us was simple but profound: E Pluribus Unum. Out of many, one. It’s the fundamental covenant that says, despite our different backgrounds, we are all citizens of the same nation, living under one set of laws, and deserving of the same protections. This principle is what keeps us from descending into a mess of warring tribes.

But what happens when our own elected leaders decide that the covenant is optional? What happens when officials sworn to uphold the law start carving out their own private fiefdoms, declaring entire classes of Americans unwelcome and replacing constitutional order with tribal rule? This isn’t just a thought experiment. It’s happening right now, and one Democrat just provided a chilling preview of the left’s ultimate vision for America. And trust me, you aren’t going to like it.

From ‘The Post Millennial’:

The comments were made in a series of posts on X showing Fateh standing in front of the Cedar Riverside towers alongside two other men. “Cedar Strong. White Supremacists aren’t welcome here. We protect our own,” the post read. When pressed by journalist David Marcus, who wrote that Americans do not allow “no-go zones,” Fateh doubled down, replying, “This is a No-Go zone for white supremacists.”

Don’t mistake this for a simple slip of the tongue. This wasn’t a gaffe; it was a confession from Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh. He is openly promoting the creation of an autonomous enclave on American soil, a place where his political opponents are barred from entry and where a private force, not the police, keeps order.

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Two Border Patrol agents opened fire at Alex Pretti in Minneapolis after he was disarmed, government report states

A new Border Patrol report says that two agents fired the ten shots at Alex Pretti that killed him and does not mention the gun owner taking out his gun.

Pretti, 37, was shot dead in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday during a targeted immigration enforcement operation.

Following the shooting, DHS and Border Patrol officials portrayed Pretti as an instigator who ‘brandished’ a weapon at officers. 

However, a new government report that was sent to Congress on Tuesday claims that while an officer shouted that Pretti had a gun, it does not mention Pretti having taken it out. 

The law requires the agency to inform relevant congressional committees about deaths in CBP custody within 72 hours. 

Investigators from CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducted the analysis based on a review of body-worn camera footage and agency documentation, the notice said. 

The agency is required to report in-custody and certain other deaths involving its agents and officers to Congress. 

Officials said that at around 9am Saturday, CBP agents were faced with several protesters ‘yelling and blowing whistles’ at the officers, while also blocking the roadway at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue.

After making ‘several verbal requests’ for the protesters to stop, CBP claims two women confronted the agents while blowing whistles. They were ordered to get out of the roadway but refused. 

They said that the women were then ‘pushed away’ and one of the ran to Pretti, with both again refusing to leave the roadways. 

The officer then deployed pepper spray at both of them, while attempting to arrest Pretti.

‘CBP personnel attempted to take Pretti into custody. Pretti resisted CBP personnel’s efforts and a struggle ensued,’ the report claims. 

‘During the struggle, a (Border Patrol agent) yelled, ‘He’s got a gun!’ multiple times.’

The report continues: ‘Approximately five seconds later, a (Border Patrol agent) discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a (Customs and Border Protection officer) also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti.’ 

Within five seconds, one agent and one officer discharged the shots, with one using a Glock 19 and the other a Glock 47. 

An agent took possession of Pretti’s gun and cleared and secured it shortly after the shooting. 

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Alex Pretti broke rib in violent confrontation with ICE just days before he was shot dead in Minneapolis

Alex Pretti had been injured in a scuffle with federal agents in Minneapolis just one week before he was shot dead, it has emerged.

Pretti, 37, was left with a broken rib after being tackled by a group of officers during a protest against Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown, a source told CNN.

The alleged assault occurred after Pretti stopped his car after seeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers chasing a family on foot, the insider said. 

Pretti allegedly began shouting and blowing a whistle, and was then tackled to the ground by five agents. The source claimed one officer leaned on his back, causing his ribs to break. 

The ICU nurse, who allegedly ‘thought he was going to die’, was reportedly released at the scene – but allegedly remained on federal agents’ radar.

Agents deployed in Minneapolis were instructed earlier this month to ‘capture all images, license plates, identifications, and general information on hotels, agitators, protestors,’ according to documents obtained by the outlet. 

Federal officers are understood to have kept documented details about Pretti, although it is unclear when they first started collecting information on him. 

He was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday.

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Kash Patel Announces Investigation Into MN Anti-ICE Operations: They ‘Should Be Worried’

Benny Johnson described what he characterized as breaking news involving a federal investigation into Signal chat groups during an exchange with Kash Patel.

Johnson said, “Okay, so this is breaking news. So you are you in the FBI and perhaps other intelligence agencies are fully aware of this coordinated effort to attack federal law enforcement, to impede them and potentially insurrect And so there is now an open investigation into these into these chats and into this coordinated network.”

Johnson continued by describing the reactions of individuals involved in the chats, stating, “Some of them are fleeing. Some of them are very scared. Now you can see their chats. They’re very, very worried now that they have been exposed.”

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Trump admin refers Minnesota case to DOJ over transgender athletes in girls’ sports

The Trump administration on Monday moved toward stripping federal funding from Minnesota by referring its investigation into alleged Title IX violations involving transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports to the Department of Justice for enforcement.

The civil rights offices at the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services said the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League have refused to comply with Title IX requirements by “allowing men to compete in women’s sports and occupy women’s intimate facilities.”

“Despite repeated opportunities to comply with Title IX, Minnesota has chosen defiance — continuing to jeopardize the safety of women and girls, deny them fair competition, and erode their right to equal access in educational programs and activities,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

McMahon also linked the referral to broader criticism of state leadership. “As Minnesota reels from a massive fraud scandal exposing Gov. Tim Walz’s dereliction of duty, today’s referral to DOJ underscores the state’s ongoing failure to safeguard its citizens and uphold the rule of law,” she said.

A joint federal investigation concluded in September that both the state education department and the high school sports league violated Title IX’s ban on sex discrimination by permitting males to compete in multiple female sports programs and use female-only locker rooms and facilities. Investigators offered Minnesota a proposed resolution agreement that would have allowed the state to voluntarily resolve the findings.

The Education Department said Minnesota indicated in December that it would neither accept the agreement nor negotiate its terms. Since then, federal officials say the state has taken no action to address the violations.

“Minnesota is violating Title IX, and we will not look the other way,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. “When states allow males to compete in girls’ sports, they deny young women and girls the protections the law guarantees.”

The referral follows a February executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing federal agencies to enforce Title IX protections based on biological sex. The order authorizes agencies to review and, if necessary, withhold federal funding from schools and programs found to be out of compliance.

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ICE Agents Regain Authority After Appeals Court Reverses Minnesota Ruling

The Trump administration won a significant legal victory Monday after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit overturned a lower court ruling that had restricted how federal immigration agents could respond to anti-ICE protests in Minnesota, as reported by Fox News.

In a decision issued by a three-judge panel, the Eighth Circuit granted a full stay of a prior injunction that limited the ability of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to arrest, detain, pepper-spray, or otherwise respond to protesters in Minneapolis without probable cause.

The ruling allows ICE agents to continue enforcement operations without the protest-specific constraints imposed earlier this month.

The appeals court reviewed video evidence that had also been examined by the lower court and reached a different conclusion about the conduct of protesters.

“We accessed and viewed the same videos the district court did,” the panel wrote.

“What they show is observers and protesters engaging in a wide range of conduct, some of it peaceful but much of it not. They also show federal agents responding in various ways.”

The case stems from a lawsuit filed by six protesters who alleged that federal authorities violated their civil rights while carrying out immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities area.

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Mayhem In Minneapolis

The riots in Minneapolis have escalated in recent weeks in response to two shootings involving ICE and Border Patrol agents reacting to violent agitators who were either armed or attempting to inflict severe bodily injury upon law enforcement.

In both scenarios, Renee Good and Alex Pretti were attempting to obstruct law enforcement from carrying out their official duties.

They were unquestionably in the wrong.  In the case of Renee Good, an ICE agent acted out of self-defense when she tried to run him over with her car.  Video evidence clearly showed Good as being the aggressor.

For Pretti, video evidence also confirms that he arrived at the scene as an agitator who tried to interrupt or obstruct the deportation operation from taking place.

A Border Patrol agent responded to an imminent threat to life, and video evidence supports this, with Pretti pictured showing up at the scene of the incident, claiming to be armed and with the intention to “massacre” ICE and CBP agents, as he motioned toward what looked like a weapon of some kind.

Both deaths are tragic.  But they are tragic not in the way the legacy media would like Americans to believe, they are tragic because they could have been avoided but for the irresponsible management of these situations by political leadership.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey failed their state and city, respectively.  Rather than lower the temperature, both leaders added to the inflammatory rhetoric, which had the effect of inciting the crowd and causing more unnecessary mayhem.

The only reason there is a national spotlight on ICE and Border Patrol nowadays is because deportations are a core component of President Trump’s domestic policy agenda, and arguably the top one or two reasons why he won a landslide election victory in November of 2024.

Americans simply dislike illegal immigration.  They especially dislike it on the unspeakable scale that was allowed to take place under the four years Joe Biden served as president, resulting in an unprecedented border invasion that resulted in at least 20 million illegal aliens entering the homeland.

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