Investigators with the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) were reviewing the authenticity of a video that allegedly showed Alex Pretti attacking federal agents days before he was killed by Border Patrol agents.
Footage posted by The News Movement’s Dan Ming showed a man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, spitting on law enforcement and breaking the taillight of their vehicle. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that the video was “under review” by HSI.
BREAKING: DHS confirms to @FoxNews they are aware of this video & HSI is investigating it. https://t.co/KcYKWRt7i6
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 28, 2026
Ming claimed in the video that the BBC confirmed Pretti’s identity to a 97% degree of accuracy. The BBC has not yet confirmed to the DCNF whether it has analyzed the video.
The footage further showed agents body slamming and holding the man down to the ground. A firearm appeared to be visible above his waistband, and he wore a similar outfit to the one Pretti wore the day he died.
A Border Patrol agent shot Pretti on Saturday during an anti-ICE protest. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced scrutiny after she alleged that Pretti acted as a domestic terrorist by approaching Border Patrol agents with a firearm.
Noem’s accusations against Pretti reportedly came from top officials in the White House, specifically White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who called Pretti an “assassin” in a statement on X, sources told Axios. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for there to be a complete investigation into the matter, and two agents were put on administrative leave on Wednesday.
The mass protests and riots in Minnesota began after the death of Renee Good, who an ICE officer shot while she hit him with her car on Jan. 7. The deaths of Good and Pretti have outraged Democrats, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who called on ICE and federal immigration enforcement to leave the state entirely.
Democrats have collectively called for Noem to be impeached, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Nearly 150 Democrats have co-sponsored articles of impeachment against Noem, which were first unveiled by Democratic Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly on Jan. 14.
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