Another Dead American
Alex Jeffrey Pretti is dead. A nurse, progressive activist, and agitator who confronted border patrol agents died from a gun fired by one of those agents. The video is far more nebulous than with Renee Good, who had been actively obstructing immigration agents before hitting one with her car. Mr. Pretti was holding up his cell phone. What happened in a scuffle with federal agents is conflicting, but overnight the video consensus and eye witnesses combined could suggest a gun fell out of his pocket in the scuffle. It does not appear he pulled a gun, though that may be the case.
But we now have two dead Americans.
They would be alive if Minnesota officials would have just cooperated with the federal government. The spin from Minnesota is that they do, but they actually only cooperate at the bare minimum — once an incarcerated illegal alien is set for release they notify federal immigration officials. What Minnesota does not do is cooperate with the federal government on immigration status checks when a person is detained by police. They operate with sanctuary policies across the state. In Minneapolis, the police are ordered to not cooperate with immigration officials.
Both Pretti and Good would be alive if Tim Walz and Jacob Frey would cooperate with the federal government like most other states do. Americans are not dying in other states. Minnesota is a major sanctuary state and cooperating with the federal government would get ICE and border patrol out of the state.
Like the progressive left and Hamas, however, there is a well-coordinated PR campaign between the Left and press to make the federal government the bad guy. Frankly, the federal government has walked into the PR battle and is doing its very best to lose it. More dead Americans does not help. This sort of feels to me as if the Hamas PR team is running ops for Minnesota and that PR team was quite effective at radicalizing people against Israel, now against deportations. They structured this situation to cause chaos and shootings, but, again, the Trump team is walking right into it.
Last night, Kristi Noem and the Border Patrol insisted Pretti intended to create a mass casualty event. As Trump supporters understood up until last night, someone with a concealed carry permit, which Pretti had, very often has an extra magazine of ammo. Contrary to initial reports, we learned overnight that Pretti had just his handgun with a magazine in it and an extra magazine.
The Trump Administration and its supporters are now insisting this was a “military style” weapon and that anyone carrying a weapon might be shot. This is both contrary to the Second Amendment and the right’s understanding of the right to keep and bear arms. That the Trump Administration is trying to vilify this man’s use of his Second Amendment right to carry a concealed weapon is a bridge too far.
We may learn that Pretti did pull his gun to shoot. If so, like with the Good situation, the officer response would be understandable. But, despite statements from Trump Administration officials, there is far less clarity in yesterday’s events.
What we have right now is the Trump Administration, led by the head of the Border Patrol and Kristi Noem, rushing to seed a narrative into the minds of people before all the facts are known and some of the facts they presented have already turned out not to be true.
These are not PR agents. These are government officials. They have an obligation to be truthful and measured while so many facts are unknown. They also have an obligation to protect the President of the United States and his policies. Rushing out with a narrative that then must change because more facts have come out will destroy the Trump Administration’s credibility on this issue.
Another progressive activist is dead. The Democrats have fanned the flames to get progressives into the streets and sow chaos. All the Democrats need to do is cooperate with the federal government.
But those around the President coming out to undermine the Second Amendment, provide narrative facts that do not pan out, and, frankly, seek to attack a dead American protestor/agitator as some sort of would-be mass shooter or terrorist, are going to turn more normal Americans against the Administration. Given the President’s more cautious response to what is happening compared with the head of Border Patrol and Kristi Noem, I think he understands the problem his team is creating for him.
The President needs to let Tom Homan lead on this. Homan understands the stakes. Inside the Trump Administration, there is an understanding that ICE has operated far more responsibly under Homan than the Border Patrol has under Greg Bovino, who is not really the head of Border Patrol, but has been placed in an elevated role by Kristi Noem that allows Bovino to bypass his superiors.
Several prominent members of Congress likewise are distrustful of Bovino’s leadership and hold Homan in high regard for his and his agents’ professionalism. More often than not, border patrol agents, not ICE, are the ones detaining American citizens and using other heavy-handed tactics. But ICE gets the blame.
And, to be clearer here, what is happening with the major public confrontation and escalation is a choice made by Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski that is well documented in the conservative media.
There is this from Fox News.
On one side are Border Czar Tom Homan and ICE Director Todd Lyons, who have advocated focusing on criminal aliens and those with final deportation orders.
On the other side are DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, senior adviser Corey Lewandowski and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who have pushed for a broader and more aggressive approach, targeting anyone in the U.S. illegally to boost deportation numbers.
Two senior officials described the mood inside DHS as “tense” and “combative,” with some ICE leaders warning the new approach could erode public support and blur the line between ICE and Border Patrol operations.
“ICE started off with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol came to LA in June, we’ve lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization,” one senior DHS official told Fox. “It’s getting numbers, but at what cost?”
Another senior official put it bluntly, "ICE is arresting criminal aliens. They [Border Patrol] are hitting Home Depots and car washes."
Noem, according to the New York Post, has also marginalized Homan, the long-time and well-respected leader whom even Barack Obama gave a presidential award to. Noem marginalized Homan because he advocated working behind the scenes and prioritizing the criminals and gang bangers before pivoting to a general round-up. Noem, Lewandowski, and Bovino have wanted public confrontations and spectacle.
Just a few days ago, the conservative Washington Examiner dove into this more.
Senior Trump administration officials, including a Cabinet member, tried to force out President Donald Trump’s top border official over disagreements about how to reach the president’s deportation goals and ethical concerns, eight sources alleged during conversations with the Washington Examiner.
Those involved said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski, a special government employee at DHS and Noem’s close ally, have waged an aggressive campaign to make U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott so uncomfortable at work that he would resign.
Noem and Lewandowski want to elevate Bovino even further and, for now,
Five people said Noem made that decision and told Bovino he would report directly to her, an unprecedented move to have Bovino go around Scott and Border Patrol’s national chief, Mike Banks. The DHS and CBP did not address or dispute this point when asked for comment.
My advice to the President and his team is very simple. Repeat after me: “We are at this point because the State of Minnesota and City of Minneapolis continue to harbor illegal aliens the American people want deported. The deaths of American citizens are tragic and made more tragic by the Governor and Mayor whipping activists into a frenzy to stop the federal government from enforcing the laws Minnesota and Minneapolis refuse to enforce. Neither Ms. Good nor Mr. Pretti would be dead and the border patrol would not be roaming the streets of Minnesota if the state government cooperated with the federal government’s effort to deport illegal aliens. We will not cease enforcement of federal law because of a mob. The American people voted in November of 2024 for a change of direction away from open borders and mass illegal migration into the country. Kamala Harris’s Vice Presidential nominee is not just rejecting the will of the voters, but inflaming the situation in Minnesota, inspiring vigilantes who are getting harmed and killed while ICE and Border Patrol agents are increasingly under threat.” Then let Homan take the lead and send Bovino elsewhere.
You don’t have to attack anyone, seed a narrative that may be false, or be defensive if you just repeat that line over and over because that is the truth and so much else is propaganda.
If you support deportations and do not understand how the Trump team yesterday undermined the President’s agenda, you are going to be in for a very rude awakening with where normal Americans head in their policy preferences on this issue. The Trump team risks setting back the deportation agenda by trying, in their responses, to be like Trump. Only Trump can be Trump. Be responsible public servants instead. This absolutely is a PR matter and the Democrats have the press in their corner, which requires the Trump team to be on their A game at all times.
Also the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California should be fired or impeached for this tweet:
Mr. Pretti had a Second Amendment right to be armed and a concealed carry permit pursuant to the laws of Minnesota. Merely possessing a gun while approaching a law enforcement officer is not grounds for killing an American citizen.
And Kristi Noem needs to shut up or resign after last night’s press conference. The President could immediately change the direction of where this is heading by firing a few people and letting Tom Homan run the operation.
Lastly, it is really incredible watching Trump supporters turn into gun control advocates on a dime. Based on the information we have, at present, eyewitnesses say Pretti did not pull his gun, but it fell out of his pocket. That may change, but that is what we have at the moment. We also have an affidavit from a doctor that border patrol agents refused to allow medical help for Mr. Pretti at the scene.
The legal analysis below may be sound, but forgive me for noting how it sounds exactly like Everytown, the Brady Campaign, etc. “The firearm matters” because it is “a high capacity 9mm pistol” and “was not a cheap carry gun.”
So? Should Pretti have obstructed agents? No. Did he have a right to protest? Yes. Did he have a right to carry a gun? Yes.
There are lots of facts to come, but raising suspicions because he had a hand gun and a permit to carry that gun is a bridge too far for me unless, because Trump is President, we’re going to walk back our Second Amendment rights and try to get them back next time a Democrat is in the White House.
I have only seen two videos and couldn't tell when or where the gun appeared first. Anyone on the right who uses the term "high capacity magazine" is disqualified from speaking. And even repeating incessantly, SEMI-AUTOMATIC HAND GUN" to make it seem like a more dangerous type is monumentally stupid. It was a very normal carry gun. I have one. So just stop with the whole making it sound exceptionally lethal nonsense. I have said that with the constant pressure, vilification, harassment, and assaults on ICE that someone is going to be pushed over the limit and make a bad decision. This may be it. I cannot tell from any video I have seen. But neither the administration nor the officials in Minnesota should be putting out a conclusion yet. But I can say one thing, I carry all the time and I would never approach any law enforcement with an attitude while carrying. For that matter I wouldn't be approaching law enforcement with an attitude anyhow, especially when they are involved in an operation. But from reports, there are people in the crowd who are actually being stupid enough to make a motion like pulling a gun in the presence of these agents. That is going to get someone else killed. Some of these people are like suicide bombers.
No matter how you want to break it down , the dead guy was interfering and had a gun .. he is responsible for his death.