The White House blamed Democrats on Monday for the fatal shooting of anti-U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protester Alex Pretti in Minnesota, even as President Donald Trump spent much of the last 24 hours trying to calm tensions over the incident.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the day’s press briefing that the escalation in Minnesota between federal immigration agents and protesters resulted from the actions of Democratic elected officials, specifically Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
“Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets. This includes Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and the brave men and women of federal law enforcement,” Leavitt said. “But let’s be clear about the circumstances which led to that moment on Saturday: This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota.”
Pretti, 37, was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Saturday in Minneapolis after becoming involved in an altercation with federal officials.
Leavitt said Walz, Frey, and other Minnesota Democrats had spent weeks “spreading lies about federal law enforcement officers who are risking their lives daily to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens from our streets.”
“Governor Walz and Mayor Frey have shamefully blocked local and state police from cooperating with ICE, actively inhibiting efforts to arrest violent criminals,” said Leavitt. “They have also used their platforms to encourage left-wing agitators to stalk, record, confront, and obstruct federal officers who are just trying to lawfully perform their duties, which has created dangerous situations threatening both these officers and the general public and Minnesotans alike.”
Leavitt’s remarks came hours after Trump told the Wall Street Journal he would consider recalling federal immigration law enforcement agents from Minnesota.
The president also announced via Truth Social Monday that he was deploying border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis amid ongoing protests against ICE. Trump said on the platform that he spoke to Walz on the phone, and the two leaders “seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”
During the press briefing, Leavitt was repeatedly pressed on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem describing Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller calling him a “would-be assassin” before the conclusion of an investigation.
“I have not heard the president characterize Mr. Pretti in that way,” the press secretary said.
Leavitt added that the shooting in Minnesota has “obviously been a very fluid and fast-moving situation throughout the weekend, as for President Trump, whom I speak for, he has said that he wants to let the investigation continue and let the facts lead in this case.”
The press secretary said the easiest way to ease tensions would be for Minnesota to transfer criminal illegal aliens in its custody to federal law enforcement authorities for deportation, and for local police to help their federal counterparts apprehend and detain the same illegal aliens in exchange for the withdrawal of federal personnel.
“Additionally, President Trump is calling on the United States Congress to immediately pass legislation ending sanctuary cities once and for all. American cities should be safe sanctuaries for law-abiding citizens, not for dangerous, illegal alien criminals who broke our nation’s laws and do not belong here,” she said.
Leavitt on Monday was similarly pressed on the mixed messages from Republicans regarding open firearm carry laws after law enforcement officials cited Pretti’s weapon as one of the reasons he presented a danger on the ground.
“While Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms, Americans do not have a constitutional right to impede lawful immigration enforcement operations,” she said. “Any gun owner knows that when you are carrying a weapon, when you are bearing arms, and you are confronted by law enforcement, you are raising the assumption of risk and the risk of force being used against you. And that’s unfortunately what took place on Saturday.”
Aside from reiterating Trump’s confidence in Noem, Leavitt also spoke to congressional negotiations this week to keep the federal government open.
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Democrats have previewed the possibility of not supporting a funding bill that would appropriate money for the Department of Homeland Security in response to last weekend’s shooting. Their lack of support would prompt a partial government shutdown from Jan. 31.
“Policy discussions on immigration in Minnesota are happening. Look, the president is leading those discussions, as evidenced by his correspondence with Gov. Walz this morning,” Leavitt said. “But that should not be at the expense of government funding for the American people. We absolutely do not want to see that funding lapse.”
