These Republicans Are Breaking With Trump Over Pretti Shooting

Topline

Former Vice President Mike Pence called the killing of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis “deeply troubling” on Monday, becoming the latest Republican to break with the Trump administration in raising questions about the merits of the shooting.

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence participates in a television interview outside of the funeral service of former Vice President Dick Cheney at the National Cathedral on November 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Pence called the shooting “tragic” and said a “full and transparent investigation of this officer involved shooting must take place immediately.”

Pence is among a growing group of Republicans expressing unease with Pretti’s death as the Trump administration has demonized Pretti to defend the agent who shot him, claiming he posed an imminent danger to law enforcement.

Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have also called for a probe into the shooting, with Cassidy saying, “the credibility of ICE and D.H.S. are at stake.”

Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., said Sunday he requested testimony from senior officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and Citizen and Immigration Services as part of an upcoming hearing to “conduct oversight of each agency and ensure they are fulfilling their duty to protect the homeland.”

Some Republican governors have also broadly criticized the Trump administration’s tactics in enforcing its anti-immigration crackdown in the wake of the shooting, including Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., who said, “Americans don’t like what they’re seeing right now” and Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vt., who said, “it’s not acceptable for American citizens to be killed by federal agents for exercising their god-given and constitutional rights to protest their government.”

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., a staunch ally to President Donald Trump, also questioned whether ICE should continue its crackdown in Minnesota, telling Fox News on Sunday, “if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way, and there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide, ‘Do we want to continue to have all of these illegals?’”

What To Watch For

Trump told the Wall Street Journal his administration is “reviewing everything” regarding the shooting, though he declined to say whether the agents acted appropriately. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday on Fox News “every video will be analyzed, everything will be looked at” as part of the investigation into Pretti’s death.. Body-worn camera footage worn by agents involved in the shooting is also under review, an unnamed DHS spokesperson told NBC on Monday.

Tangent

Pence also wrote, “The American people deserve to have . . . the right to keep and bear arms respected and preserved,” joining other gun rights advocates who have rejected the suggestion from some Republicans that Pretti’s shooting was justified, in part, because he was legally carrying a gun. Some gun rights groups spoke out after Los Angeles-based federal prosecutor Bill Essayli wrote Saturday on social media, “if you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don’t do it!” Gun Owners of America contested the statement, writing on social media, “federal agents are not ‘highly likely’ to be ‘legally justified’ in ‘shooting’ concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm. The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting—a right the federal government must not infringe upon.” The National Rifle Association also called Essayli’s comments “dangerous and wrong,” though it placed blame on “radical progressive politicians” it claims have made “calls to dangerously interject oneself into legitimate law-enforcement activities” that “have ended in violence.” Bystander footage shows agents appeared to remove Pretti’s firearm, which he was legally licensed to carry, before he was shot, contradicting the narrative from some Trump officials. Noem described the shooting as “defensive shots” and Border Patrol commander Dan Bovino claimed Pretti wanted to do “maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” citing the gun he brought to the protest.

Key Background

Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, was shot Saturday in Minneapolis at a protest against ICE’s immigration enforcement operations in the city. Footage of the incident shows him approaching federal agents with his phone in one hand and the other hand empty. Seconds later, he attempted to block another protester from being pepper sprayed by federal agents before he was also pepper sprayed then pinned to the ground by several agents who appeared to remove his gun before at least 10 shots were heard. Pretti is the second person who has been killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in a matter of weeks. Trump officials also sought to portray Renee Good, who was killed on Jan. 7, as a danger to law enforcement who was attempting to run over an ICE officer, contradicting video evidence. In a statement shortly after Saturday’s shooting, DHS said Pretti “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him.