Trump says federal immigration agents will leave Minneapolis eventually as scrutiny grows over fatal protest shooting

Federal presence in Twin Cities becomes flashpoint after Jan. 24 death of VA nurse

President Donald Trump said federal immigration agents operating in Minneapolis “will leave” the city “at some point,” while also praising their work as “phenomenal.” He did not provide a timeline for a drawdown and indicated that some federal personnel would remain in Minnesota for separate investigations he described as “financial fraud.”

The remarks come amid escalating state-federal tensions following the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, during a confrontation involving federal agents on Jan. 24, 2026. Pretti’s death has intensified local protests and renewed legal and political challenges to the ongoing federal immigration enforcement surge in the Twin Cities.

What is known about the Jan. 24 shooting

Pretti was shot and killed in south Minneapolis during an encounter involving U.S. Border Patrol personnel assigned to immigration enforcement activity. State and federal accounts of the moments leading to the shooting have differed, and publicly circulated video recordings have become central to disputes over whether Pretti posed an immediate threat at the time force was used.

Authorities have confirmed Pretti was a U.S. citizen. Officials have also said he legally carried a firearm and had a Minnesota permit to carry. Federal officials have asserted that agents acted in self-defense, while Minnesota leaders have publicly questioned that characterization and have called for an independent accounting of the incident and the actions of agents at the scene.

Legal fight over evidence preservation and investigative access

In the days after the shooting, Minnesota officials sought court intervention over access to evidence and the handling of the scene. A federal judge issued an order requiring the Department of Homeland Security to preserve evidence connected to the shooting, with additional proceedings scheduled to determine whether the preservation requirements should remain in place.

The evidence dispute has become a focal point of the broader controversy: Minnesota leaders argue state investigators must be able to review body-worn footage, communications, forensic materials, and other records without interference, while federal agencies have maintained that internal reviews and federal investigative processes are underway.

Operation Metro Surge and the political stakes

The Minneapolis confrontation unfolded during “Operation Metro Surge,” the federal effort that began in December 2025 and brought increased numbers of immigration enforcement personnel into the Twin Cities area. Minnesota’s attorney general, together with Minneapolis and Saint Paul, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt the operation, arguing that the surge is unlawful and unconstitutional.

Gov. Tim Walz has urged the White House to remove federal immigration agents from Minnesota, framing the issue as both a public safety and civil liberties crisis. The Trump administration has defended the deployment as necessary for enforcement and public order, while declining to commit to a withdrawal date beyond the president’s statement that agents will leave “at some point.”

• Key dates: Operation Metro Surge began in December 2025; Renée Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7, 2026; Alex Pretti was fatally shot on Jan. 24, 2026.

• Outstanding questions include the precise sequence of events before shots were fired, which agencies’ policies governed the encounter, and what disciplinary or criminal review—if any—will follow.

The administration has said it is “reviewing everything” related to the shooting, while state officials continue to press for a transparent, evidence-driven investigation with independent oversight.