CBP Chief Insists They’re the Real Victims of Minnesota Shooting

Federal agents have terrorized, shot, and killed Minnesotans under the guise of advancing the Trump administration’s immigration goals—but the real victims, according to some officials, are ICE and Border Patrol.

Reacting to video footage of ICE’s lethal attack on ICU nurse Alex Pretti, CBP chief Greg Bovino unequivocally told CNN Sunday how he interpreted the situation, which involved several masked agents pinning Pretti on the ground before shooting him nearly a dozen times.

“With respect, it feels as though in some ways you’re blaming the victim here,” said host Dana Bash.

“The victims are the Border Patrol agents. I’m not blaming the Border Patrol agents. The victims are the Border Patrol agents,” Bovino said. “The suspect put himself in that situation.”

Pretti, a well-respected nurse who worked with veterans, was out on the streets of Minneapolis Saturday morning protesting the death of Renee Nicole Good, who was similarly shot point-blank several times earlier this month by a masked ICE agent shortly after dropping her child off at school.

Moments before Pretti’s death, video captured from onlookers at multiple angles depicted the 37-year-old filming ICE activity before intervening between another protester and an agent who had violently shoved her to the ground. The two protesters were then sprayed with a chemical irritant, and Pretti was ripped away from the other demonstrator while she continued to slip on a mound of snow.

At least seven officers were on top of Pretti, wrestling him to the ground, when one of them, standing above the situation and seemingly supporting the other agents, grabbed his gun and shot Pretti. Video footage captured audio of 10 gunshots ringing out.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed that the officer who killed Pretti was “fearing for his life” when he reached for his weapon.

“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” McLaughlin said. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.”

McLaughlin noted that Pretti was pronounced dead on the scene by medics.

More protests have swept Minneapolis in the wake of Pretti’s death, and Governor Tim Walz activated the Minnesota National Guard to contend with Washington’s overstep.