Morale within the Department of Homeland Security has plunged to "catastrophic" levels following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis on Saturday, Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin reported.
Pretti, 37, was killed during a protest over raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. His death marks the second fatal shooting by federal immigration enforcement in the same area within weeks, following the January 7 death of Renee Good.
In a post on X, Melugin stated he had spoken with over half a dozen federal sources in immigration enforcement, including senior officials, regarding departmental frustration with how DHS handled the shooting. His sources reported growing "uneasy and frustrated" feelings toward the "claims and narratives" promoted by DHS leadership.
Following Pretti's death, DHS officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, immediately characterized him as a "domestic terrorist." DHS claimed the agent acted in self-defense, asserting that Pretti possessed a handgun and resisted disarmament attempts.
Noem stated: "This individual had a weapon on him, and multiple—dozens—of rounds of ammunition; wishing to inflict harm on these officers, coming, brandishing like that." She added: "This individual impeded the law enforcement officers and attacked them."
Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino characterized the incident as "a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."
However, Pretti's family disputes this account. Video footage of the incident does not show him using force against agents during the protest opposing Trump-authorized ICE raids in Minnesota.
Melugin reported significant internal dissent: "Specifically, I'm told there is extreme frustration with DHS officials going on TV and putting out statements claiming that Alex Pretti was intending to conduct a 'massacre' of federal agents or wanted to carry out 'maximum damage', even after numerous videos appeared to show those claims were inaccurate.
He continued: "These sources say this messaging from DHS officials has been catastrophic from a PR and morale perspective, as it is eroding trust and credibility."
Internal sources indicated the situation was deteriorating. One stated that DHS' response is "making the situation worse," while another remarked: "We are losing this war, we are losing the base and the narrative."
Additionally, federal sources complained that ICE was receiving blame for actions undertaken by Border Patrol, a separate agency within DHS not typically deployed for interior immigration enforcement.
President Trump addressed the incident without naming Pretti or Good directly. He posted: "By doing this, Democrats are putting Illegal Alien Criminals over Taxpaying, Law-Abiding Citizens, and they have created dangerous circumstances for EVERYONE involved. Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos."
When questioned about whether the agent acted appropriately, Trump declined to provide a direct answer. Instead, he told The Wall Street Journal: "We're looking, we're reviewing everything and will come out with a determination."
Trump added: "I don't like any shooting. I don't like it. But I don't like it when somebody goes into a protest and he's got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn't play good either."