Minneapolis shooting: Federal agents fatally shoot US citizen, fueling outcry

Federal agents fatally shot a second US citizen in Minneapolis on Saturday, reigniting criticism over the ongoing immigration enforcement operation in the city and increasing the risk of a US government shutdown next week.

Victim identified

The victim, 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was killed during a federal immigration operation. The shooting comes just three weeks after another Minnesota resident, 37-year-old Renee Good, was also shot and killed by federal agents.

Lawmakers condemn federal actions

Democratic lawmakers criticised the killings. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a potential swing voter, said, “I will not support the current Homeland Security funding bill,” citing concerns over unaccountable federal agents operating in city streets. She added that the Trump administration and DHS chief Kristi Noem were “putting undertrained, combative federal agents on the streets with no accountability.”

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia added on X, “This brutal crackdown has to end. I cannot and will not vote to fund DHS while this administration continues these violent federal takeovers of our cities.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed that “Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.”

Republicans lack votes in Senate

President Donald Trump’s Republican Party narrowly controls the 100-member Senate but does not have enough votes to pass the spending bills without Democratic support. Republicans had hoped to secure a handful of Democratic votes despite the package including full funding for DHS, the agency responsible for carrying out Trump’s controversial immigration agenda.

Senators’ opposition over the federal agent killings has further complicated efforts to pass the spending bills. With multiple Democrats withdrawing support, the possibility of a government shutdown has grown.

Political consequences loom

Funding for large parts of the federal government, including DHS and the Pentagon, expires on January 31. While the Republican-led House of Representatives has passed a funding measure extending financing through September, it still requires approval in the Senate.

Senate rules require 60 votes to pass spending bills. The growing number of Democratic lawmakers withholding support has made another shutdown — just two months after the longest US government shutdown in history ended in November — increasingly likely. That shutdown lasted 43 days, during which hundreds of thousands of federal employees were furloughed, with essential workers required to continue working without pay.

Public protests continue

Local activists and residents have taken to the streets to protest the use of deadly force by federal agents and to demand greater accountability. The latest incidents have heightened scrutiny of federal enforcement operations in Minneapolis and their broader political implications nationwide.