The newly published video is from a Jan. 13 incident in which Alex Pretti, who was shot by federal agents in a later clash, behaves violently toward agents.
President Donald Trump on Jan. 28 shared newly released video footage showing Alex Pretti in a violent confrontation with federal agents in Minneapolis 11 days before he was fatally shot during a separate immigration enforcement operation, amid ongoing political and public scrutiny of the shooting.
The video, shared by Trump on his Truth Social platform, was published on Jan. 28 by digital outlet The News Movement and was filmed several miles from the location where Pretti was involved in a separate violent encounter with federal agents on Jan. 24, during which he was fatally shot.
Representatives for Pretti’s family confirmed to multiple media outlets that the man depicted in the Jan. 13 video is Pretti.
A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Epoch Times’ sister media outlet NTD that the footage is under review.
The Epoch Times reached out to Steve Schleicher, attorney for the Pretti family, for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Trump offered no comment in his post on the newly emerged video. He previously said that his administration would thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the shooting, which has sparked intense scrutiny and divided opinions, with some saying agents were justified in using lethal force and others arguing they were not.
“We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything, and will come out with a determination,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal in a Jan. 25 interview.
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told The Epoch Times that two federal agents involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, describing it as “standard protocol.”
When asked about the latest footage and Pretti’s killing, border czar Tom Homan told reporters at a Jan. 29 press conference that he would not comment on the specifics and wanted the “investigation to play out and see where it goes.”
Homan then cited Trump telling him that he doesn’t want to see anyone die, adding that he says “a prayer every night that everybody goes home safe.”
“I have buried Border Patrol agents, and I’ve buried ICE agents throughout my career, and the saddest thing I’ve ever done is hand a folded flag to a wife or a child,” Homan said. “I don’t want to see anybody die, even the people we’re looking for.”
He also clarified that the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation prioritizes criminal illegal aliens—those who have committed serious crimes—but added that anyone who entered the United States illegally is “never off the table” because if they were, it would send the wrong message, one that encourages illegal border crossings.
By Tom Ozimek
