Left-wing rioters erected barricades in the streets of Minneapolis after Border Patrol agents fatally shot a man in possession of a gun Saturday.
Alex Pretti, 37, was killed during what a Department of Homeland Security statement described as a “targeted” enforcement operation at 9:05 a.m. local time, triggering riots. Jorge Ventura, reporting for the Daily Caller News Foundation, posted video of one such barricade made with dumpsters and trash cans Saturday afternoon.
“Protesters have blocked and barricaded multiple streets near the shooting, many people from out of town are starting to arrive here in Minneapolis and despite the massive amounts of tear gas used by authorities, the crowd is only getting bigger,” Ventura says.
Ventura told the DCNF that Minneapolis police and the Minnesota State Patrol “are letting them take to the streets” and not making any effort to remove the barricades. The Minneapolis Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
Protesters have blocked and barricaded multiple streets near the shooting , many people from out of town are starting to arrive here in Minneapolis and despite the massive amounts of tear gas used by authorities , the crowd is only getting bigger. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/pHVSyrEG4b
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) January 24, 2026
“This is starting to remind of CHOP/CHAZ in Seattle of 2020, several blocks barricaded by protesters with no signs of slowing down,” Ventura posted Saturday.
At least two DHS officers, one from Homeland Security Investigations and another from Customs and Border Patrol, have been injured by the rioters, according to Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin.
Democrats immediately condemned the shooting, with Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar claiming it was an “execution” in a Saturday post on X.
Democrats also demanded President Donald Trump end the enforcement operations being carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York similarly announced Democrats would oppose the appropriations legislation for the Department of Homeland Security, placing the government at risk of a partial shutdown.
This is starting to remind of CHOP/CHAZ in Seattle of 2020 , several blocks barricaded by protesters with no signs of slowing down @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/6nfzMXPVi8
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) January 25, 2026
DHS personnel were involved in two recent previous incidents: the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent, and a Jan. 14 incident during which an ICE agent wounded one of three illegal immigrants who ambushed him, with the latter incident provoking an increase in violent opposition to immigration enforcement operations.
ICE deployed hundreds of agents into the Minneapolis area to target illegal immigrants from Somalia following reports of welfare fraud in Minnesota by City Journal in November. Some of the proceeds from the scams reportedly went to the Somalia-based radical Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab.
President Donald Trump declared an end to Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in the state on Nov. 22. Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was then moved to announce on Dec. 7 during Minneapolis-area TV station WCCO that Minneapolis police would not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement operations.
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