Six Deaths in Trump’s Immigration Enforcement Campaign Spark Controversy and Legal Action

At least six people have died during the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement campaign across the United States, with the most recent fatality involving a U.S. citizen shot by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis.

Federal authorities initially characterized Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, as an armed threat to immigration officers. However, video evidence later revealed Pretti was only holding a phone when a masked Border Patrol agent opened fire on January 24. While Pretti was licensed to carry a handgun in Minnesota, footage shows an officer removing the weapon from Pretti’s waist before the first shot was fired, followed by additional shots while Pretti lay on the ground.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned federal officials’ characterization of Pretti as “despicable.”

This fatal shooting marked the second death in Minneapolis in January alone. Earlier that month, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen. Video evidence shows Good was turning her Honda Pilot’s wheels away from officer Jonathan Ross when he opened fire, contradicting Trump administration officials’ assertions that Ross’s life was in danger.

“I’m not mad at you,” Good reportedly said before Ross discharged his weapon.

Good’s death ignited public outrage throughout Minnesota, with the U.S. Justice Department refusing to share information about the shooting with state authorities. This lack of cooperation prompted state and local officials to file lawsuits attempting to halt immigration sweeps that have involved thousands of federal officers. In response to growing protests, where demonstrators have trailed officers with whistles, authorities have deployed tear gas and other chemical irritants.

The pattern of fatalities extends beyond Minneapolis. Last September, ICE agents fatally shot Silverio Villegas González during a traffic stop in suburban Chicago. The 38-year-old Mexican line cook had just dropped off a child at daycare that morning when he was stopped by agents.

The Department of Homeland Security claimed Villegas González had a history of reckless driving, was in the country illegally, evaded arrest, and dragged an officer with his vehicle. They stated the officer fired fearing for his life and suffered “serious injuries.” However, local police videos contradicted this account, showing the agent walking around afterward and dismissing his injuries as “nothing major.” The case remains under investigation.

In southern California, 57-year-old farmworker Jaime Alanis died after falling from a greenhouse roof during an ICE raid at Glass House Farms in Camarillo on July 10. Alanis, who had worked at the licensed cannabis and produce farm for a decade, fell approximately 30 feet and broke his neck while hiding from authorities. He died in the hospital two days later.

Family members said Alanis had called to tell them he was hiding during the raid and that he regularly sent his earnings to support his wife and daughter in Mexico. Homeland Security officials maintain Alanis was never in custody and wasn’t being chased by immigration authorities when he fell.

Two more deaths involved individuals struck by vehicles while fleeing immigration enforcement. On August 14, Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, a 52-year-old Guatemalan man, was hit by an SUV while attempting to cross Interstate 210 after fleeing from ICE agents outside a Home Depot in Monrovia, California. Despite officials claiming Montoya Valdez wasn’t being pursued when he ran, he died later at a hospital.

In a similar incident on October 23, Josué Castro Rivera, a 24-year-old Honduran gardener, was fatally struck by a pickup truck on Interstate 264 in Norfolk, Virginia, after running from authorities during a traffic stop. His brother said Castro Rivera had been heading to a gardening job with three passengers when ICE officers pulled over their vehicle. Federal authorities described the stop as part of a “targeted, intelligence-based” operation and claimed Castro Rivera “resisted heavily and fled.” Like many of the victims, Castro Rivera worked to send money to family in his home country.

Despite these six deaths during immigration enforcement actions, no officers have been charged in any of the cases.