The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that two federal agents involved in Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting have been placed on administrative leave.
“The two officers involved are on administrative leave. This is standard protocol,” a DHS spokesperson told The Independent.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appeared to question that narrative during an interview Wednesday night, however.
Speaking with MS NOW, Walz said he doesn’t know the identity of the agents and “I don't know if I believe they're on leave.” Later in the conversation, he said they’re “probably not” in Minnesota.
The Independent has reached out to DHS and Customs and Border Protection for comment on Walz’s remarks.
Also Wednesday, a video appearing to show Pretti confronting federal agents was released.
Less than two weeks before Border Patrol fatally shot Pretti in Minneapolis, he appeared to kick a government vehicle and get tackled to the ground by federal agents, according to a video published by The News Movement.
The BBC reported that the man in the video “has the same coat, facial hair and gait as Alex Pretti and a facial recognition tool suggests a 97 percent match.” Pretti’s family confirmed to CNN that he is the man in the video.
Key Points
- Federal agents who killed Alex Pretti are put on administrative leave
- Tim Walz qustions whether federal agents involved in Alex Pretti killing are off the streets
- Stephen Miller rages against judge's order blocking Trump administration from arresting refugees in Minnesota
- New video appears to show Alex Pretti confronting ICE 11 days before fatal shooting
ANALYSIS: Democrats offer an ultimatum to GOP: Fix ICE or face another government shutdown
08:00 , Eric GarciaAnother week, another looming government spending deadline.
In the wake of the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the weekend, Democrats are demanding Republicans put a list of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement into a spending bill lest there be another government shutdown.
Almost as soon as Customs and Border Protection officials shot and killed Pretti, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Democrats would oppose the government funding bill if it included money for the Department of Homeland Security, which houses both ICE and CBP.
Schumer made the demands even more concrete on Wednesday: ending the roving patrols of ICE agents in cities like Minneapolis; requiring search warrants; cooperation with state and local law enforcement; a uniform code of accountability; removing masks for ICE agents and body cameras.
Read on...
Democrats offer an ultimatum to GOP: Fix ICE or face another government shutdown
Judge blocks ICE arrests of Minnesota refugees who were ‘subjected to terror’
07:30 , Alex WoodwardA federal judge in Minnesota has blocked immigration officers from arresting and detaining recently resettled refugees in the state after a lawsuit accused agents of “hunting” them down and sending them to a detention center in Texas.
The order from Minnesota District Judge John Tunheim also commands the administration to immediately release any detained refugees and return them to their homes in Minnesota.
In his ruling on Wednesday night, Tunheim notes that the lawsuit involves refugees who have been “carefully and thoroughly vetted” before they were accepted into the United States, because of persecution in the countries from which they have come.”
“They are not committing crimes on our streets, nor did they illegally cross the border,” he added.
Read on...
Judge blocks ICE arrests of Minnesota refugees who were ‘subjected to terror’
Republican Minnesota lawmaker gets laughed at for saying Trump is 'constantly' extending the 'olive branch'
07:00 , Rachel DobkinMinnesota state Senator Michael Holmstrom, a Republican, said at a CNN town hall Wednesday night that President Donald Trump, known for his combative rhetoric toward opponents, is “constantly” extending the “olive branch.”
“The olive branch is constantly extended, and it’s swatted away because of anger and resentment,” Holmstrom said.
The audience then erupted into laughter.
Watch: Minneapolis mayor says video appearing to show Alex Pretti confronting federal agents doesn’t justify fatal shooting
06:30 , Rachel DobkinTwo federal agents involved in Alex Pretti's killing have been on administrative leave since Saturday: report
06:27 , Rachel DobkinThe two federal agents involved in the killing of Alex Pretti have been on administrative leave since Saturday, the Associated Press reported, citing the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS had confirmed to The Independent that the two officers were on administrative leave, as is the standard protocol for the agency.
Pretti was fatally shot by Border Patrol in Minneapolis last Saturday.
Fox News analyst says Trump's deportation efforts have 'hit its political limits' after poll finds ICE tactics 'too aggressive' for most voters
06:00 , Rachel DobkinFox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume has said that President Donald Trump's deportation efforts have “hit its political limits” after a new poll finds that the tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are “too aggressive” for most voters.
“The republic’s response to what it is seeing on its TV screens and reading about in publications and so forth suggests that people, they want the border closed, they want criminal illegals rounded up, but they see these scenes in the street, particularly the two killings in Minnesota and they see people who seem otherwise innocent, although they may be here illegally, rounded up, they don’t like that,” Hume told Bret Baier on Special Report Wednesday.
A new poll from Fox News found that 59 percent of registered voters felt ICE was too aggressive in carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign promise of the largest deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history.
Majority of voters say ICE is too aggressive in Fox News poll
05:30 , Rachel DobkinA majority of voters say Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation efforts are too aggressive, according to a Fox News poll.
The poll found that 59 percent of registered voters felt ICE was too aggressive in carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign promise of the largest deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history.
Another 24 percent said ICE’s tactics were about right and 17 percent said the agents weren’t aggressive enough.
While the poll was being taken, federal agents fatally shot a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis for the second time this month.
Ilhan Omar reacts to Trump suggesting her spray attack was staged
04:40 , Rachel DobkinRepresentative Ilhan Omar has reacted to President Donald Trump suggesting that the attack that led to her being sprayed with a substance at a town hall in Minneapolis Tuesday was staged.
“This is also somebody who was talking about me in his town hall in Iowa. And then seems to exhibit some sort of dementia when he says he doesn't think about me. Maybe it is time for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, because he certainly cannot remember what he said and has done an hour ago,” Omar told host Kaitlan Collins.
Omar: This is also somebody who was talking about me in Iowa. And then seems to exhibit some sort of dementia when he says he doesn't think about me. Maybe it is time for the 25th amendment to be invoked, because he certainly cannot remember what he said an hour ago. pic.twitter.com/Jc7LZblZGw
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 29, 2026
The 25th Amendment says the vice president shall become president if the president dies, resigns or is removed from office.
During a speech in Clive, Iowa, Tuesday, Trump continued his verbal attacks against Omar, a Somali immigrant, whom the president accused of not being “proud” of America.
When asked by ABC if he had seen the video of Omar being attacked, Trump said, “No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Stephen Miller rages against judge's order blocking Trump administration from arresting refugees in Minnesota
04:20 , Rachel DobkinWhite House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has raged against a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from arresting recent refugees in Minnesota.
“The judicial sabotage of democracy is unending,” Miller wrote on X Wednesday.
The judicial sabotage of democracy is unending. https://t.co/9l6do1Qm3a
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) January 28, 2026
Democrat says Renee Good and Alex Pretti are 'victims of homicidal state terror'
04:00 , Rachel DobkinRepresentative Jamie Raskin, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, has called Renee Good and Alex Pretti “victims of homicidal state terror.”
Renee Good and Alex Pretti should be alive today. They are victims of homicidal state terror. We will never forget them and we are fighting for accountability for their cowardly killers. We must use every lawful means at our disposal to stop masked federal agents from violating…
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) January 28, 2026
Good and Pretti were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in two separate incidents this month. The Trump administration has framed both shootings as self-defense amid public outcry over the Department of Homeland Security’s tactics.
Walz qustions whether federal agents involved in Alex Pretti killing are off the streets
03:47 , Rachel DobkinMinnesota Governor Tim Walz has doubted whether the federal agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti are off the streets.
The Department of Homeland Security announced earlier Wednesday that two agents involved in Pretti’s killing in Minneapolis over the weekend have been placed on administrative leave per protocol.
In an interview with MS NOW, Walz said he doesn’t know the identity of the agents and “I don't know if I believe they're on leave.”
“I don't know they're not on our streets,” the governor said.
Tim Walz said Trump talked to him about Venezuela in Minnesota talk
03:40 , Rachel DobkinMinnesota Governor Tim Walz said in a new interview that President Donald Trump talked to him about Venezuela during a conversation about his state.
Amid growing tensions over Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, the president and Walz had a phone call Monday.
Walz told MS NOW Wednesday that during their discussion on immigration, Trump brought up his operation in Venezuela, where the U.S. captured now-disposed President Nicolás Maduro.
Walz: Trump said, “Well, look, Tim, we did this in New Orleans. We did it in Louisville. There's no problems.” And then he told me it was successful in Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/OxVQBwKziE
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 29, 2026
“I’m not sure what gave him the indication that at this point in time, what’s happening with my state that I’m interested in Venezuela, but he told me how well that went,” the governor said.
Walz added, “He saw an operation in Venezuela against a foreign nation in the same context he saw an operation in a U.S. state in a U.S. city.”
Shortly after his phone call with Walz, Trump wrote on Truth Social:”We have had such tremendous SUCCESS in Washington, D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and virtually every other place that we have ‘touched’ and, even in Minnesota, Crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!”
Trump shares new video appearing to show Alex Pretti confronting federal agents
03:20 , Rachel DobkinPresident Donald Trump has shared on Truth Social the newly released video of Alex Pretti confronting federal agents days before he was killed.
Trump also shared posts claiming Pretti wasn't a “peaceful protester.”
One post from MAGA political commentator Gunther Eagleman read, “This wasn’t some ‘peaceful protester.’ He was a domestic terrorist!” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also accused Pretti of “domestic terrorism.”
Pretti was fatally shot in Minneapolis over the weekend by Border Patrol after getting into a confrontation with agents.
“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,” the Pretti family said in a statement following the fatal shooting. “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
Ilhan Omar said she's 'fortunate' she didn't get to suspected attacker before her security did
03:05 , Rachel DobkinRepresentative Ilhan Omar told CNN Wednesday that she's “fortunate” she didn't get to her suspected attacker before her security did.
“I’m fortunate I didn’t get to him because I’d probably be catching charges as well,” the Minnesota Democrat told host Kaitlan Collins.
At a town hall in Minneapolis Tuesday, Omar was speaking out against the Department of Homeland Security when a man sprayed her with a substance. Omar began to raise her fist at the man before her security tackled him.
After the incident, U.S. Capitol Police said, “We are now working with our federal partners to see this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this kind of violence in our society.”
John Thune lays out what's at stake as partial government shutdown looms
02:40 , Rachel DobkinSenate Majority Leader John Thune has laid out what's at stake as a partial government shutdown looms.
Democrats are demanding reforms to the immigration enforcement side of the Department of Homeland Security for their support on a bill to fund the agency.
“The DHS bill not only funds ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and Border Patrol, but it also funds FEMA and TSA and the Coast Guard and CISA, which deals with cybersecurity for the country, so a lot of pretty important stuff,” Thune told reporters Wednesday.
He added: “A government shutdown is not in anybody’s interest.”
Congress has until midnight on Saturday to pass a bill funding DHS and get it signed by President Donald Trump to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Republican defends Stephen Miller, calls Minnesota 'lawless'
02:21 , Rachel DobkinSenator Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, has defended White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and called Minnesota a “lawless state.”
When asked by independent immigration journalist Pablo Manríquez if he has lost confidence in Miller, Marshall said, “No, not at all.
“I think he’s doing a great job. The president’s number one thing he ran on was securing the border and making our families safe. And I know Mr. Miller has been a big part of that,” according to a recording of the conversation shared by MeidasTouch Network.
Following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol in Minneapolis over the weekend, Miller called the 37-year-old nurse a “would-be assassin,” without providing evidence.
“People [in Minnesota] are saying that they’re not safe due to his policies. What is your message to people who are very, very concerned?” Manríquez asked Marshall.
The senator replied, “I think that Minnesota is the consequence of a lawless state,” adding, “Many states are having lots more illegal aliens removed without the conflicts that there are in Minnesota.”
“And all that being said, I have all the sympathy in the world for the loss of life, and I want things to cool down,” Marshall added.
Rideshare driver shares encounter with Greg Bovino in Minneapolis over ‘his accent’
02:00 , Mike BediganA rideshare driver in Minneapolis has described his encounter with Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino after being questioned by federal agents over his accent.
“It was very obvious to me by the way Border Patrol was acting with me unprofessionally, that they really didn't care about my identity,” Ahmed Bin Hassan told CNN on Thursday.
“[An agent] said, ‘You know what? I know you're not an American citizen, and I demand that you show me proof of that … What's making me ask you this stuff is, you do not sound like me… You don't have the same accent as me.’
“So I was shocked. I was startled. And I said, ‘Are we using accents now to verify citizenship?’ It was just absurd to hear that.”
Read on...
Rideshare driver shares encounter with Greg Bovino in Minneapolis over ‘his accent’
Mayor Frey reacts to video that appears to show Alex Pretti confronting ICE days before shooting
01:36 , Rachel Dobkin and Brendan RasciusMinneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has reacted to a video that appears to show Alex Pretti confronting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents days before he was fatally shot by Border Patrol.
“I actually haven't yet seen the video, but are we actually making the argument that Alex Pretti should be killed for something that happened, like 11 days prior to the shooting itself? Now I think we should be talking about the circumstances that actually led to the killing and what took place,” Frey said at a CNN town hall Wednesday night.
A video published by The News Movement, a digital media company, seemed to show Pretti kicking a government vehicle and being tackled to the ground on a city street on January 13.
The BBC reported on Wednesday that the man in the video “has the same coat, facial hair and gait as Alex Pretti and a facial recognition tool suggests a 97% match.”
Pretti’s family has also confirmed to CNN that the man in the video is Pretti.
Mayor Frey says Border Patrol agents violated 'a common sense of humanity' in Alex Pretti shooting
01:24 , Rachel DobkinMinneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a CNN town hall Wednesday night that Border Patrol agents violated “a common sense of humanity” in the confrontation that led to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
Moderator Sara Sidner mentioned that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has told CNN that agents involved in the shooting may not have been following protocol.
“It's not just protocol that was violated, it's a common sense of humanity,” Frey said.
New video appears to show Alex Pretti confronting ICE 11 days before fatal shooting
01:20 , Brendan RasciusAlex Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse fatally shot by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, appeared to confront federal agents less than two weeks before his death, newly published video footage appears to show.
A video published by The News Movement, a digital media company, seemed to show Pretti kicking a government vehicle and being tackled to the ground on a city street on January 13.
The BBC reported on Wednesday that the man in the video “has the same coat, facial hair and gait as Alex Pretti and a facial recognition tool suggests a 97% match.”
Read on...
Alex Pretti appeared to confront ICE agents days before he was shot, video shows
Mayor Frey voices what he hopes for after Tom Homan meeting
01:12 , Rachel DobkinMinneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has spoken about what he hopes for after meeting with President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan.
“My hope, my expectation, is that the troops and the agents we're seeing will be drawn down. My hope and my expectation is the conduct that has caused so much chaos on our streets will end, but again, I'll believe it when I see it,” Frey said at CNN’s Wednesday night town hall amid the immigration crackdown in his city.
Mayor Frey calls for a 'full and fair investigation' into Alex Pretti shooting
01:08 , Rachel DobkinMinneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for a “full and fair investigation” into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti at the hands of Border Patrol.
“What we need to see is a full and fair investigation,” Frey said at a CNN town hall Wednesday night. “I believe that to get a full and fair investigation, you need to have some other entity beyond the Department of Justice and this federal administration that's at the table actually reviewing evidence.”
Senator says Noem and Miller are doing Trump a 'great disservice'
01:00 , Rachel DobkinWhen asked about Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s reaction to the killing of Alex Pretti, Senator Thom Tillis sais they are doing President Donald Trump a “great disservice.”
Immediately after Pretti was fatally shot by Border Patrol in the streets of Minneapolis last Saturday, Miller accused him of being a “would-be assassin” and Noem claimed he “committed an act of domestic terrorism.” The public has not been provided with evidence to back up these claims.
“They're doing the American people and the president a great disservice by not realizing how much attention is focused on these operations and how details and discipline matter,” Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, told CNN’s Jake Tapper Wednesday. “They spoke before they knew anything about what occurred on the ground."
Sen. Thom Tillis on Noem and Stephen Miller: "They're doing the American people and the president a great disservice by not realizing how much attention is focused on these operations and how details and discipline matters. They spoke before they knew anything about what occurred… pic.twitter.com/b8Hccfuglx
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 28, 2026
Minnesota Democrat demands ICE leaves her state
00:40 , Rachel DobkinSenator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents leave her state after federal officers fatally shot two Americans in Minneapolis this month.
Speaking about the latest incident, which took the life of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti, Klobuchar said on the Senate floor, "This has turned into a [Department of Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem and [Border Patrol chief] Greg Bovino-driven shock and awe public spectacle meant to intimidate our state.”
In the aftermath of the shooting, Noem called Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” and Bovino said he “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” The public has not been provided with evidence to back up these claims.
“There are 3,00 federal officers in Minnesota, and I cannot state it more unequivocally, ICE must leave Minnesota,” Klobuchar added.
Republican senator condemns Ilhan Omar being sprayed with substance
00:20 , Rachel DobkinSenator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, has condemned an incident at Representative Ilhan Omar’s town hall in Minneapolis Tuesday night, where the Minnesota Democrat was sprayed with an unknown substance.
“You can dislike someone’s positions, you can be vocal about that. If you wanna protest somebody, fine. Have at it. But disrupting their meetings, their rallies, their town halls and assaulting them. I mean — no way,” Hawley told CNN’s Manu Raju.
Josh Hawley condems incident at Ilhan Omar event.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 28, 2026
“This needs to stop… I don't care who does the attacking or the disrupting, that's wrong, and it's also illegal.”
On whether Trump should have said Omar incident may have been staged: “I don't even know what he meant by it.” pic.twitter.com/h1xF2SAUiP
Family of Alex Pretti retains lawyers who helped prosecute the George Floyd case
00:00 , Michael BieseckerThe parents of Alex Pretti have retained a former federal prosecutor who helped Minnesota’s attorney general convict the police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck of murder.
Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, was shot multiple times on Saturday as he was filming Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation.
Steve Schleicher, a partner at the Minneapolis firm Maslon, is an experienced litigator who served as a special prosecutor for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in the 2021 trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Read on...
Family of Alex Pretti retains lawyers who helped prosecute the George Floyd case
Trump to hold cabinet meeting tomorrow: report
Wednesday 28 January 2026 23:40 , Rachel DobkinPresident Donald Trump is set to hold a cabinet meeting Thursday, a senior White House official told NewsNation.
NEWS: President Trump will hold a cabinet meeting tomorrow (Thursday), a senior White House official tells me @NewsNation. It will be the first cabinet meeting of 2026.
— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) January 28, 2026
It's also the first time we'll see the President with DHS Sec. Kristi Noem at the table since the shooting…
Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from arresting refugees in Minnesota
Wednesday 28 January 2026 23:17 , Alex WoodwardA federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from arresting recent refugees in Minnesota after Homeland Security launched an operation to target lawfully present refugees who came into the country during Biden’s presidency.
The temporary order remains in effect while the judge considers a longer injunction.
“It is also essential to emphasize that the refugees impacted by this Order are carefully and thoroughly vetted individuals who have been invited into the United States because of persecution in the countries from which they have come,” Judge John Tunheim wrote Wednesday night.
“They are not committing crimes on our streets, nor did they illegally cross the border,” he added. “Refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, a right to work, a right to live peacefully — and importantly, a right not to be subjected to the terror of being arrested and detained without warrants or cause in their homes or on their way to religious services or to buy groceries. At its best, America serves as a haven of individual liberties in a world too often full of tyranny and cruelty. We abandon that ideal when we subject our neighbors to fear and chaos.”
Photos of Minneapolis today
Wednesday 28 January 2026 23:00 , Rachel Dobkin
Pam Bondi in Minneapolis amid Trump's immigration staff shakeup
Wednesday 28 January 2026 22:40 , Rachel DobkinAttorney General Pam Bondi announced that she is “on the ground” in Minneapolis Wednesday as President Donald Trump shakes up the presence of immigration officials in the city.
Trump sent his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minnesota earlier in the week as Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino was expected to leave Minneapolis.
The president told Fox News Tuesday, “Bovino’s very good but he’s a pretty out there kind of a guy, and in some cases that’s good, maybe it wasn’t good here.”
The shakeup comes after the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month.
John Thune says proposed DHS funding bill cuts ICE's budget. Is that true?
Wednesday 28 January 2026 22:20 , Rachel DobkinSenate Majority Leader John Thune has said that the House-passed Department of Homeland Security funding bill would actually cut Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s budget.
“The Democrats have raised an objection with the DHS funding bill. Now, the ironic thing about that, obviously, is that the DHS funding bill, actually, if enacted, would spend less on ICE...than would a Continuing Resolution, which would be a bill to fund the government for the full year at current spending levels,” Thune told reporters Wednesday.
Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee said earlier this month that the DHS bill would cut funding for ICE enforcement and removal operations by $115 million, while the agency's overall budget would remain flat.
Elizabeth Warren urges Senators on both sides to 'stop bankrolling ICE's abuses'
Wednesday 28 January 2026 22:00 , Rachel DobkinSenator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, has urged her colleagues on both sides of the political aisle to “stop bankrolling ICE’s abuses.”
Warren: "I know there are Republicans right now who are seeing what we're seeing in Minnesota, and they know it's wrong. It's time to speak out. Silence is complicity. Grow a spine, show some backbone. Being 'disturbed' doesn't change anything and the ICE agents who are waving… pic.twitter.com/RmiYJClbuf
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 28, 2026
Democrats in the Senate are refusing to back a House-passed spending bill to keep the government open because of the Department of Homeland Security funding included.
“Help the Democrats put meaningful constraints on ICE,” Warren said. “Help our people be safe.”
Warren’s comments come after the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month. DHS has framed the shootings as self-defense.
Watch: Trump says he feels worse over the killing of Renee Good than Alex Pretti because her parents 'were Trump fans'
Wednesday 28 January 2026 21:40 , Rachel DobkinTexas Democrat visits five-year-old detained by ICE
Wednesday 28 January 2026 21:21 , Rachel DobkinRepresentative Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, has shared a photo of his visit with preschooler Liam Conejo Ramos, who was detained with his father by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota last week.
Just visited with Liam and his father at Dilley detention center. I demanded his release and told him how much his family, his school, and our country loves him and is praying for him. pic.twitter.com/9a2pCuapYd
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) January 28, 2026
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from immediately deporting Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias. They are currently at an ICE detention center in Texas.
Two federal agents involved in Alex Pretti's killing have been on administrative leave since Saturday: report
Wednesday 28 January 2026 21:01 , Rachel DobkinThe two federal agents involved in the killing of Alex Pretti have been on administrative leave since Saturday, the Associated Press reported, citing the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS had confirmed to The Independent that the two officers were on administrative leave, as is the standard protocol for the agency.
Pretti was fatally shot by Border Patrol in Minneapolis last Saturday.
Chuck Schumer’s list of demands for DHS
Wednesday 28 January 2026 20:40 , Rachel DobkinSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has laid out a list of demands for the Department of Homeland Security. They are as follows, according to reporters on Capitol Hill:
- End roving patrols of federal immigration agents
- Enforce a uniform code of conduct for all law enforcement
- Require agents to carry ID, turn their body cameras on and take their masks off
