Myles Miller
Updated ,first published
Two US Border Patrol agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti have been placed on administrative leave, Customs and Border Protection said, as scrutiny intensifies over the Trump administration’s immigration-enforcement operations in Minnesota.
The move is “standard protocol” after an officer-involved shooting, a CBP spokesperson said without providing additional details about the status of the investigation.
The development came as the White House escalated its warnings to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over his refusal to co-operate with federal immigration enforcement.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (Washington time) that New York and other Democratic-led cities were “heading in the wrong direction”, even as his administration has said it wants to de-escalate tensions in Minnesota.
Pretti’s killing on January 24 ignited widespread criticism, including from Republicans. Democrats are threatening to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless restrictions are placed on enforcement operations.
An intensive care nurse, Pretti was the second US citizen killed by federal agents in Minneapolis during confrontations over Trump’s enforcement surge.
Pretti was legally carrying a gun at the time of the encounter, but available video didn’t show him brandishing the weapon. Video appeared to show agents had disarmed him before he was shot.
Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed on January 7.
State and local officials have called for independent investigations into both killings and for a reduction in the federal presence, warning that aggressive enforcement tactics risk further loss of life.
It comas after some federal agents left Minneapolis and Trump send his border tsar, Tom Homan, to take over ICE operations in the city as he shifted strategy amid ongoing unrest and growing political backlash.
Homan effectively replaced Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino, who had been the face of the special enforcement operation in Minneapolis and attracted criticism for saying – without evidence – that it looked like Pretti intended to “massacre” officers.
Meanwhile, details of the man accused of squirting an unknown substance on Democratic US Representative Ilhan Omar at a town hall in Minneapolis have begun to emerge, showing he has a criminal history and has made online posts supportive of President Donald Trump.
Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, was convicted of felony auto theft in 1989, has been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence and has had numerous traffic citations, Minnesota court records show. There are also indications he has had significant financial problems, including two bankruptcy filings.
Police say Kazmierczak used a syringe to squirt a liquid on Omar during the event on Tuesday (Minnesota time) after she called for the abolishment of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the firing or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti.
Officers immediately tackled and arrested Kazmierczak, who was jailed on a preliminary third-degree assault charge, police spokesperson Trevor Folke said.
Photos of the syringe, which fell when the man was tackled, show what appears to be a light-brown liquid inside. Authorities haven’t publicly identified the substance.
After the attack, there was a strong, vinegarlike smell in the room, according to an Associated Press journalist who was there. Forensic scientists were called in, but none of the roughly 100 people who were there had a noticeable physical reaction to the substance.
Omar continued speaking for about 25 minutes after Kazmierczak was ushered out, saying she wouldn’t be intimidated. While leaving, she said that she felt a little flustered but wasn’t hurt and that she was going to be screened by a medical team.
She later posted on X: “I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win.”
Kazmierczak hadn’t been formally charged or scheduled for an initial court appearance as of Wednesday morning. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has until Thursday to charge him but could seek an extension. A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office didn’t immediately return a call seeking further information.
It’s unclear if Kazmierczak has a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. The county’s chief public defender, Michael Berger, said the case hasn’t been assigned to his office.
A neighbour told the New York Post that Kazmierczak said he was going to Omar’s town hall and “I might get arrested”.
In social media posts, Kazmierczak described himself as a former network engineer who lives in Minneapolis. Among other things, he made comments critical of former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and referred to Democrats as “angry and liars”.
Omar, a progressive, has been a frequent target of Trump’s barbs since she joined Congress in 2019.
That year, Trump urged Omar and three other freshmen congresswomen of colour known as “the squad” to “go back” to their countries if they wanted to criticise the US. Omar was the only one of the four born outside the US, having immigrated to the country as a child when her family fled violence in Somalia.
During a Cabinet meeting in December, Trump referred to her as “garbage”. Earlier on Tuesday, the president criticised her as he spoke to a crowd in Iowa, saying his administration would only let in immigrants who “can show that they love our country”.
When asked about the attack, Trump told ABC News that he hadn’t watched the footage and accused Omar of staging the attack.
“She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” Trump said.
Bloomberg, AP
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