U.S. agents involved in fatal Minneapolis shooting placed on leave

The Trump administration said on Wednesday (January 28, 2026) that two immigration agents involved in the fatal shooting of a civilian in Minneapolis had been placed on leave, as the President slammed the city’s mayor despite a promise to de-escalate the situation.

The officers have been on leave, a move U.S. officials said was “standard protocol”, since Saturday (January 24), when Alex Pretti was shot multiple times after being forced to the ground by camouflaged officers in a scuffle captured on video.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (January 27) that he wanted to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minneapolis, the focal point for tensions over his hardline immigration crackdown.

Yet on Wednesday (January 28), the 79-year-old Republican attacked the mayor of Minneapolis, saying that his refusal to cooperate with federal authorities on rooting out suspected illegal immigrants was “a very serious violation of the law.”

Mayor Jacob Frey is “playing with fire,” Mr. Trump said on social media.

Saturday’s (January 24) fatal shooting of Pretti, an intensive care nurse, was widely condemned across the political aisle despite initial efforts by White House officials to justify the killing.

In a bid to stem the backlash, Mr. Trump shuffled the leadership of immigration agents deployed in Minneapolis.

He replaced the confrontational Greg Bovino, famed for revelling in aggressive, televised immigration crackdowns, with the policy-focused “border czar” Tom Homan.

Another high-ranking official, Attorney General Pam Bondi, was in Minneapolis on Wednesday (January 28) as she announced the arrests of 16 Minnesota “rioters” for allegedly assaulting federal law enforcement.

Fury

While the White House insists that it is targeting hardened criminals, the use of masked, heavily armed men to snatch people from streets, homes and workplaces has caused widespread shock.

That turned to fury this month after immigration agents shot dead two Minneapolis protesters at point-blank range in separate incidents – Pretti and Renee Good, both U.S. citizens.

Top Mr. Trump aide Stephen Miller initially justified Pretti’s killing by branding him a “would-be assassin” – despite video evidence clearly showing the 37-year-old man posed no threat when he was shot in the back while pinned down on the ground.

Late on Tuesday (January 27), Mr. Miller said the Customs and Border Patrol agents who killed Pretti “may not have been following protocol.”

Seeking to distance himself from the fallout, Mr. Trump also struck a more conciliatory tone on Tuesday (January 27).

However, Mr. Trump said there was no plan for a “pullback”, and he has rejected calls to sack his loyal Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

In Minneapolis, 39-year-old community activist Jennifer Arnold told AFP little has changed since Mr. Trump’s promise to ease tensions in the city.

“The Trump administration is saying that they’re going to change tactics… but we are not experiencing anything different on the ground, people are still being snatched off the streets,” said Ms. Arnold.

Immigrant politician attacked

The political battle could soon move to Congress, where Democrats are threatening to hold up authorisation for swaths of U.S. Government funding if reforms are not made to rein in the sprawling military-style immigration agencies.

Meanwhile, the president of the Roman Catholic bishops’ conference in the United States called on Wednesday (January 28) on priests to offer a time of prayer following the fatal shootings in Minneapolis.

Mr. Trump’s focus on Minnesota is linked to a probe into alleged corruption by Somali immigrants in the state, which he and right-wing allies have amplified as an example of what they say is a fight against criminal immigrants.

The President has made a particular target of Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whom he routinely insults in speeches and says should be sent back to Somalia.

In the latest sign of a deteriorating political climate, a man sprayed Ms. Omar with an unknown liquid while she was giving a speech late on Tuesday (January 27), before being tackled by security.

The suspect, 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, was arrested on suspicion of assault. CNN reported that the liquid was likely apple cider vinegar, citing a law enforcement source.

Speaking to reporters in Minneapolis on Wednesday (January 28) evening, Ms. Omar said that Mr. Trump’s attacks against her helped fuel the incident.

“I wouldn’t be where I am at today, having to pay for security, having the government to think about providing me security if Donald Trump wasn’t in office, and if he wasn’t so obsessed with me,” Ms. Omar said.

She added, however, that such intimidation “hasn’t worked thus far, and it’s not going to work in the future”.

Published – January 29, 2026 04:22 am IST