President Donald Trump has officially declared that following the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota, he is addressing the national outcry by pledging a “deescalation” of federal tactics.
This marks the rising pressure from both the public and high-profile tech leaders who condemned the hostility of “Operation Metro Surge”.
Pretti’s death has sparked local and national protests, drawing criticism from lawmakers in both parties. Trump’s remarks are the latest sign that his administration is taking a step back on its operations in Minnesota.
In this regard, Trump said that he viewed the killing of Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a veterans’ hospital, as a very unfortunate incident.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has further clarified that the agents fired in self-defense, claiming Pretti resisted attempts to disharm him.
The DHS alleges Pretti was shot because he was brandishing a gun during a confrontation; however local officials have challenged that account saying he was holding a phone, not a weapon.
According to the BBC, the preliminary report drafted by Customs and Border Protection appears to counter the initial DHS accounts of events, which say, two of their agents fired their weapons at Pretti.
Stephen Miller, a top White House aide working on the administration’s deportation initiative, told CNN that the White House “provided clear guidance to DHS. He claimed extra personnel sent to Minnesota were intended to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors, and that the administration is now evaluating why that protocol was not followed.
Conversely, several Republican leaders have called for a transparent investigation into Pretti’s death, including Vermont Governor Phil Scott and US Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.
The primary focus of his speech at the Iowa rally on Tuesday night was dedicated to his economic policies. Observers noted that Trump did not discuss the current situation in Minnesota in depth, he spoke about his immigration crackdown more extensively.
In addition, he cited a Harvard Harris poll from December showing that 80% of Americans support his administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
