AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Trump Sends Border Czar to Minnesota After Agents Kill Alex Pretti

Ebony McMorris
January 26, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutes

(AURN News) — The killing of Alex Pretti has shocked the nation and ignited a renewed firestorm over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by federal Border Patrol agents in Minnesota on Saturday morning during a protest, just weeks after the fatal shooting of Renee Good. He was shot 10 times, authorities said.

A sign for 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer earlier in the day, is displayed during a vigil Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Federal officials say Pretti approached the agents with a gun and was shot in self-defense.

But bystander video shows a different account, appearing to show Pretti helping a woman who was pushed to the ground by agents. Moments later, Pretti was wrestled to the ground and shot multiple times in the back.

White House border czar Tom Homan is interviewed by Stuart Varney, on the Fox Business Network, in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The Trump administration has responded by dispatching former ICE Director Tom Homan to Minnesota.

Senate Democrats say they will block upcoming Department of Homeland Security funding over ICE’s conduct, raising the threat of a partial government shutdown.

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.