Kentucky Senator Rand Paul stepped into the center of a heated controversy on Tuesday, calling for immediate action regarding the death of Alex Pretti. The Republican senator demanded that the Border Patrol officer who shot and killed Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday be placed on administrative leave right away. Paul also insisted that the incident requires an independent investigation rather than an internal review.
Paul, who currently chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, expressed deep skepticism about how quickly the situation was labeled by authorities.
Writing on the social media platform X, the senator noted that he could not recall another instance where police leadership immediately branded a person killed in a shooting as a “domestic terrorist” or a “would-be assassin.”
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He argued that standard police procedure almost always involves taking the officers involved off the street until an outside investigation is finished. He believes this step is essential to restoring calm and public trust.
The shooting took place on Saturday, and the narrative surrounding it has been conflicting. Shortly after the incident, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement claiming Pretti approached agents with a gun and appeared intent on causing a “massacre.”
Top officials in the Trump administration, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, publicly described Pretti as an assassin and a terrorist. DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin stated that Pretti had “2 magazines and no ID” and intended to do maximum damage.
However, evidence emerging from the scene has challenged that official account. Two bystanders have given sworn statements claiming Pretti never showed his gun. Video footage of the encounter also appears to show that Pretti never brandished a weapon. Local officials have since confirmed that Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit.
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Despite these discrepancies, the Trump administration acknowledged on Monday that the only current inquiry into the death is a “use of force” review conducted by the DHS itself. This type of review focuses on whether agents followed proper tactics, rather than determining if they committed a crime. Legal experts find this odd.
CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig noted on Tuesday that the FBI and the Department of Justice usually take the lead in these types of fatal incidents to ensure an unbiased result.
Paul is now using his position in the Senate to demand accountability. He has called for the directors of ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to testify before his committee.
In a letter to the agency heads, Paul reminded them that Congress has a duty to oversee how tax dollars are used, especially given the “exceptional amount of funding” provided to secure the border.
This scrutiny comes as the DHS faces questions regarding a separate incident in Minneapolis.
The agency recently opened an in-house review into the January 7 shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent. Much like the Pretti case, the Department of Justice has not yet opened an investigation into that shooting.
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