In brief
The Trump administration's aggressive immigration campaign has resulted in the deaths of at least six people, including U.S. citizens, during encounters with immigration authorities. Notably, the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis sparked outrage, with video evidence contradicting federal claims. Other incidents include the shooting of Renee Good and the fatal injuries of farmworkers during raids. Advocates and local officials are calling for investigations and reforms in immigration enforcement practices.
At least six people have died during the Trump administration’s intense immigration enforcement campaign in the U.S., the latest being a 37-year-old man who was shot by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis. Federal authorities immediately described Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen, as an armed agitator who was a threat to immigration officers. But videos showed Pretti’s hands were only holding a phone when a masked Border Patrol officer opened fire on Jan. 24. Gov. Tim Walz denounced as “despicable” the comments that federal officials made about Pretti.Pretti, who worked as a nurse, was permitted to possess a handgun in Minnesota. In video of the shooting, an officer appears to pull a gun from Pretti’s waist and step away. That’s when the first shot was fired, followed by more shots. Pretti was on the ground when he was killed.His death was the second in January in Minneapolis. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a woman who used her vehicle to block a street and was slowly pulling away. Last September, Immigration and Customs Enforcement fatally shot a person outside Chicago. Two people have died after being struck by vehicles while fleeing immigration authorities. And a California farmworker fell from a greenhouse and broke his neck during an ICE raid last July. No officers have been charged.Renee Good, a U.S. citizen, was repeatedly shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. Videos show she was turning the wheels of her Honda Pilot away from officer Jonathan Ross when he opened fire. Good’s death caused a firestorm in Minnesota. The U.S. Justice Department said it wouldn’t share information on the shooting with state authorities. State and local officials subsequently sued to try to stop the immigration sweeps, which have involved thousands of federal officers. Protesters with whistles have trailed officers who, in response, have deployed tear gas and other chemical irritants.ICE agents fatally shot Silverio Villegas González during a traffic stop Sept. 12 in suburban Chicago. Relatives said the 38-year-old line cook from Mexico had dropped off a child at day care that morning. The Department of Homeland Security said agents were pursuing a man who was in the country illegally. They alleged Villegas González evaded arrest and dragged an officer with his vehicle.Authorities were rounding up dozens of farmworkers July 10 at Glass House Farms in southern California when Jaime Alanis fell from the roof of a greenhouse and broke his neck. The 57-year-old laborer from Mexico died at a hospital two days later. During the raid, Alanis called family to say he was hiding. Officials said he fell about 30 feet from the greenhouse roof.A man running away from immigration officers outside a Home Depot store in southern California died after being hit by an SUV while trying to cross a freeway on Aug. 14. Police in Monrovia reported that ICE agents were conducting enforcement operations when the man fled to Interstate 210. He was identified as Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, 52, of Guatemala.In addition, a pickup truck fatally struck Josué Castro Rivera on a highway in Norfolk, Virginia, as he tried to escape authorities during a traffic stop on Oct. 23. Castro Rivera, 24, of Honduras, was heading to a gardening job when ICE officers pulled over the vehicle. State and federal authorities stated Castro Rivera had “resisted heavily and fled.”
