Noem says she grieves for family after CBP-related shooting in Minneapolis, vows thorough investigation

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Noem says she grieves for family after CBP-related shooting in Minneapolis, vows thorough investigation

Homeland Security secretary says she grieves for Alex Pretti’s family while questioning circumstances surrounding the confrontation

Taylor Penley Fox News

Published

January 25, 2026 12:37pm EST

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Noem provides updates on winter storm, investigation into deadly Minneapolis shooting

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joins ‘The Sunday Briefing’ to discuss the latest on the nationwide winter storm and the escalating unrest in Minneapolis following a deadly CBP-involved shooting.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed Sunday to conduct a thorough investigation into the Border Patrol-related death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, expressing sympathy for his family while questioning his actions at the scene.

"I'm grieved for them. I truly am. I can't even imagine losing a child," Noem said during an exclusive interview on "The Sunday Briefing."

"We can't have individuals that are impeding law enforcement operations and then showing up with guns and weapons and no ID and confronting law enforcement like that is one of the reasons that we see situations like this unfold," she continued.

DHS SLAMS DEMS FOR COMPLAINING ABOUT IMMIGRATION LAW: 'IT IS QUITE LITERALLY THEIR JOB TO CHANGE IT'

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sits at a table speaking with ranchers and border officials during a discussion.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem participates in a roundtable discussion with local ranchers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees in Brownsville, Texas, on Jan. 7. (Michael Gonzalez/Getty Image)

"I think everybody can learn from this situation. I'm grateful for law enforcement that put their lives on the line every day to go out there on the streets and try to bring criminals to justice and protect the public, and we'll continue to make sure the right thing is done, this investigation is completed, and that we continue to go forward, and we enforce the law and apply it equally to everybody in the country."

Noem previously defended the agent's actions as self-defense.

ANTI-ICE AGITATOR ALLEGEDLY BITES OFF FEDERAL OFFICER'S FINGER DURING MINNEAPOLIS ATTACK

This undated photo provided by Michael Pretti shows Alex J. Pretti, the man who was shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24. (Michael Pretti via AP)

Pretti's parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, responded after the incident Saturday, saying they are "heartbroken but also very angry," and condemned the version of events presented by law enforcement as "sickening lies."

"Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital," the couple wrote.

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"The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed," they continued.

Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.

Noem says she grieves for family after CBP-related shooting in Minneapolis, vows thorough investigation