Alex Pretti family seeks answers from Trump administration seven months after fatal CBP shooting

Seven months after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by Customs and Border Protection agents during a January immigration-related crackdown in Minnesota, Pretti’s family renewed calls for accountability and answers from the Trump administration on Tuesday, according to a report by The Hill.

Pretti worked as an ICU nurse, and the report said he was shot during the January enforcement action that, in the account provided to reporters, involved CBP agents carrying out a crackdown related to immigration. The fatal shooting has remained a central point of concern for Pretti’s family, who said they have not received the kind of explanation they believe the case warrants.

In Tuesday’s push, the family characterized their request as seeking clarity about the circumstances surrounding the shooting and what steps, if any, have been taken to determine responsibility and ensure public trust. The family said the passage of time since Pretti’s death has increased the need for answers from the federal government, including the CBP and broader administration leadership connected to the operation.

The Hill reported that the family’s remarks were made as questions have continued about the operational decisions involved in the January enforcement effort and whether the incident was handled with appropriate safeguards. The family’s call for accountability centers on the federal government’s responsibility to explain the events that led to a civilian death during immigration enforcement activities.

The request arrives as the Trump administration continues to pursue immigration enforcement priorities, including operations carried out through federal law enforcement agencies. CBP is a component of the Department of Homeland Security, and any explanation of the Pretti case would typically involve information about the specific incident, the chain of command, and the results of any investigative process, according to the general role CBP and DHS serve in such matters.

While the report focused on the family’s unanswered questions, it did not, in the available summary, provide new official findings, identified investigators, or a timeline for when the federal government would respond. The Hill also did not indicate the status of any formal review or litigation connected to the shooting within the cited account.

For now, Pretti’s family is pressing for transparency from the federal government, and the next step would depend on whether DHS or CBP provide additional documentation or statements addressing the family’s concerns and describing the results of any internal or external review of the January operation.

The case also underscores the broader issue of public accountability in federal enforcement actions, particularly when such operations involve the use of force, and the impact that unresolved questions can have on families seeking closure and on communities asking how future enforcement decisions will be made.