Justice Department Civil Rights Joins Probe Into Alex Pretti Shooting

The investigation into the fatal shooting of the ICU nurse by Border Patrol agents will now involve the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.

Jan. 30, 2026 at 3:31pm

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The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is participating in a multi-department investigation into the shooting death of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Veterans Administration who was killed by two Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis last week. The FBI will lead the investigation, with support from the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

Why it matters

The involvement of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division suggests the shooting may have raised concerns about potential civil rights violations. Pretti's death was the second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis since Operation Metro Surge began in December, raising community tensions over the federal immigration enforcement operation.

The details

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Civil Rights Division will work with the FBI and a division of the Department of Homeland Security on the investigation, though he downplayed the idea of a "massive civil rights investigation." The two Border Patrol agents who shot Pretti have been placed on administrative leave.

  • Pretti was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents on Saturday.
  • The FBI announced it would lead the investigation on Friday.

The players

Alex Pretti

An intensive care nurse at the Veterans Administration who was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.

Todd Blanche

The Deputy Attorney General who said the DOJ's Civil Rights Division will participate in the investigation.

Kristi Noem

The Secretary of Homeland Security who said the department will cooperate with the FBI's investigation.

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What they’re saying

“We will continue to follow the investigation that the FBI is leading and giving them all the information that they need to bring that to conclusion, and make sure that the American people know the truth of the situation and how we can go forward and continue to protect the American people.”

— Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security (Fox News)

“I don't want the takeaway to be that there's some massive civil rights investigation that's happening. This is what I would describe as a standard investigation by the FBI when there's circumstances like what we saw last Saturday, and that that investigation, to the extent it needs to involve lawyers at the Civil Rights Division, it will involve those.”

— Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General (UPI)

What’s next

The judge overseeing the case will decide on Tuesday whether to allow the two Border Patrol agents involved in the shooting to be released on bail.

The takeaway

The involvement of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division in the investigation into Pretti's shooting death suggests the federal government is taking the incident seriously and wants to ensure any potential civil rights violations are thoroughly examined. This case highlights ongoing tensions between the community and federal immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis.