Three weeks ago, Renee Good was shot in Minneapolis, Minesota during an encounter with ICE. Five days ago, another protestor, Alex Pretti, was shot and killed in Minneapolis during an encounter with Customs and Border Patrol officers.
The 37-year-old was a US citizen and ICU nurse. The Department of Homeland Security called him a “domestic terrorist” and said, “The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted… Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.” However, videos appear to show that Pretti’s gun was confiscated by an officer before shots were fired. Pretti had a concealed carry license.
Following the shooting, Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino has left Minnesota and “Border Czar” Tom Homan is set to replace him. The officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave.
Another video has now emerged of Pretti confronting immigration officers on Jan. 13, eleven days before he was killed. He is seen kicking and damaging the taillight of a government SUV while concealed carrying, in a similar outfit to the day he was killed. Officers exited the vehicle and tackled him. He reportedly sustained injuries that he did not receive treatment for.
Those from the left and center widely saw the killing as a turning point and some on the right agreed. Several figures on the right broke with the Trump administration, arguing that protecting the right to the second amendment is essential. Others on the right see immigration as the biggest priority right now and note that some casualties may occur.
A USA Today (Lean Left bias) columnist Rex Huppke (Left) said, “Nothing in the multiple videos of the shooting lines up with the Trump administration's claims. It looks like a pack of poorly trained goons pounced on a legal observer who was holding nothing but a camera, showing no sign of aggression, and within seconds shot and killed him on an icy Minneapolis street. That was followed by Orwellian propaganda defaming the victim.”
“People on the left – along with a rising tide of independents – are appalled by this tragedy and pushing back hard on what is obviously overreach by an administration thirsty for fascism. But it’s going to be hard for us to defeat this madness alone…conservatives of good conscience need to spit out that rock of a lie Trump wants them to swallow and speak up. There's no choking this one down. We need your help.”
A staff editor at the Federalist (Right) wrote, “While regrettable, Good and Pretti’s deaths should be viewed in context. The left used them as tools to gin up outrage and protect its power, and they died while trying to disrupt federal law enforcement during the execution of their lawful duties. But there’s one thing above all that average Americans need to remember when one of these incidents takes place: For every leftist radical who dies trying to keep criminal illegals in our country, there are scores of innocent people who died because those leftists protected criminal illegals hiding out in our country.”
The Washington Post Editorial Board (Lean Left) praised the response of Second Amendment groups. The Trump administration has been a close ally of gun-rights groups, and perhaps it expected them to play along. If so, it underestimated their independence…Gun ownership these days might be a right-wing political signifier, but Second Amendment rights remain the same no matter their owners’ political views. Perhaps this tragedy will inspire some on the left to rethink their hostility toward the right to bear arms,” adding, “Ultimately, most politicians will be more interested in staying in power than defending any particular principle. Advocacy groups that align too closely with one party will lose credibility with the broader public.”
In the New York Times Opinion (Left), Republican Rep. Mike Lawler (Lean Right) of New York’s 17th district wrote, “The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis this month were tragic and preventable. No matter where you stand on immigration enforcement, the shootings show that what the country has been doing is not working. The loudest voices on each extreme have retreated to their usual corners. They have an interest in keeping our immigration problems unsolved and politically divisive”
“After tensions have calmed, Congress can then piece together the rest of an immigration plan that settles the issue. Along with building on Mr. Trump’s border policies, a realistic plan would provide a path to legal status — not citizenship — for long-term illegal immigrants without criminal records…We must be a nation of laws but also one that offers dignity and compassion to those seeking to pursue their American dream.”
