Trump administration border czar Tom Homan said he will not comment on the fatal shooting of Minnesota man Alex Pretti, or "any shootings," while new video circulates showing Pretti confronting federal immigration agents in Minneapolis more than a week before his death.
Asked by Newsmax during a Thursday morning press conference to react to the footage and whether local law enforcement could have played a role in de-escalating the situation, Homan said he would allow the investigation to proceed without offering public judgment.
"I'm not going to comment on any shootings," Homan said. "As a career law enforcement officer, we'll let the investigation play out, and let it go where it goes."
Homan acknowledged he has personal views on the matter but said he would not share them publicly.
"Do I have an opinion? Yeah, my personal opinion," he said.
"But I'm not going to share that with you."
The video in question shows a Jan. 13 confrontation during immigration enforcement protests in Minneapolis, in which a man identified as Pretti is seen shouting at a federal officer near an SUV and kicking the vehicle as it pulls away, shattering a taillight on the second kick.
According to the report, an agent then got out of the SUV, grabbed Pretti, and pushed him to the ground as federal agents fired tear gas and pepper balls into the crowd.
The footage also appears to show what looked like a gun in Pretti's waistband.
Another bystander video described in the report shows Pretti being tackled as onlookers shout while agents deploy pepper balls and smoke to push people back.
Pretti later slipped out of his coat and ran away, and officers left without arresting him.
Homan said President Donald Trump made clear to him that preventing loss of life remains a top priority.
"One of the words he said to me when I came up here was he didn't want to see anybody die," Homan said.
Drawing on his decades in law enforcement, Homan said heightened rhetoric and interference can escalate already dangerous situations.
"I've buried Border Patrol agents, and I buried ICE agents throughout my career," he said. "The saddest thing I've ever done is hand a folded flag to a wife or a child."
Homan stressed that safety extends beyond officers to suspects as well.
"I don't want to see anybody die, even the people we're looking for," he said. "I say a prayer every night that everybody goes home safe."
He also reiterated his position that arresting suspects in controlled environments, such as jails, reduces risk for officers and the public while limiting broader enforcement actions.
"Common sense would say it's safer to arrest a public safety threat in the safety and security of a jail," Homan said, adding that such an approach leads to fewer collateral arrests.
Homan said ICE will continue targeted enforcement operations focused on public safety and national security threats.
"We're not surrendering our authority," he said. "We're going to enforce the immigration law."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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