Protests spread after Minneapolis nurse is killed in confrontation with federal agents

Thousands of people rallied in multiple U.S. cities over the weekend after federal law enforcement officers fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old registered nurse, during a tense encounter in Minneapolis. The incident quickly became a flashpoint in the country’s broader dispute over federal immigration enforcement and the Trump administration’s domestic security posture.

According to accounts summarized by The Guardian, Pretti approached an altercation in which a person was being forced to the ground by officers. Pretti was sprayed with a chemical agent, taken down, and then shot. Video footage widely shared online appears to show Pretti holding a phone in his hand, not a firearm, undermining official assertions that he posed an immediate deadly threat.

Demonstrations were reported in Minneapolis and also in cities including New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Providence. Protesters braved extreme cold conditions and focused their anger on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees immigration enforcement. Chants and signs called for accountability, policy changes, and—among some speakers—abolition of ICE.

The Minneapolis mayor, Jacob Frey, publicly condemned the killing and questioned how many more Americans must be hurt or killed before the operation ends. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also denounced the situation in unusually blunt terms. The killing followed another fatal Minneapolis shooting earlier in the month, adding to public fury and accelerating the pace of street protests.

In Washington, the political fallout began to intersect with looming funding deadlines. Senate Democrats signaled they may block a broader funding package if it includes DHS funding without changes that would rein in what they describe as abuses by immigration enforcement. The confrontation sets up a high-stakes clash in Congress, where shutdown threats can quickly collide with public safety debates and contested narratives about what occurred on the street.

Supporters of the administration argue that officers faced real danger and that public officials are drawing conclusions before investigations are complete. Critics counter that the circulating videos raise urgent questions about the use of force and official public statements made in the hours after the shooting. With protests continuing and leaders escalating their rhetoric, the incident is likely to remain a dominant national story into the coming week.