Todd Blanche, the second-in-command at the Justice Department under Donald Trump, has accused the family of Alex Pretti of lying about what happened in his final moments. He made the claims while responding to a strong public statement released by Pretti’s relatives after the 37-year-old was killed by a federal Border Patrol agent.
Speaking to NBC News, Blanche suggested that Pretti was interfering with federal officers when he was forced to the ground, beaten, and ultimately shot. The entire incident was caught on video, which has since circulated widely and sparked outrage. Pretti, a nurse who worked with U.S. veterans, died at the scene.
Blanche described the incident as part of what he called an “isolated arrest effort,” claiming the person officers were trying to arrest was in the country illegally and had a criminal record. He argued that Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be allowed to carry out its duties with full cooperation and protection, rather than facing resistance or public backlash.
Pretti was shot while being restrained by multiple Border Patrol agents. When Blanche was read a statement from Pretti’s family and asked to respond, he appeared to struggle with his words. He then accused Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of spreading false and misleading accounts about how Pretti was killed. Pretti’s parents, however, have supported the version of events described by both officials.
Blanche said the Justice Department felt sympathy for the family but insisted the investigation was still ongoing. He claimed that long before Homeland Security officials addressed the public, state and local leaders had already created their own narrative, which he said was just as misleading as anything else said about the case.
Notably, Blanche did not criticize or condemn the actions of the federal agents involved, despite video evidence showing Pretti being physically restrained, struck, and then shot. Instead, he said the administration would do whatever was necessary to protect ICE officers when state or local governments fail to do so.
During the interview, “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker directly asked Blanche whether the deaths of American citizens were a price the Trump administration was willing to accept in order to enforce its immigration policies. Blanche, raising his voice, replied that it should not be.
In Minneapolis, protesters gathered near the site where Pretti was shot, demanding accountability and justice. His killing has added to growing concern in the city. Including the recent fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent, federal officers have now killed more U.S. citizens in Minneapolis this year than the city has recorded homicides that did not involve federal law enforcement.
Pretti’s family released an emotional statement supporting what they described as his final act of courage. According to them, he was trying to help a woman who had just been shoved to the ground by officers when he was attacked.
“We are heartbroken but also very angry,” his parents wrote. They described Alex as a kind and compassionate man who deeply cared about his family, friends, and the veterans he served as a nurse. They said he truly wanted to make a positive difference in the world and believed his final act showed exactly the kind of person he was.
The family strongly rejected claims made by the Trump administration that tried to portray Pretti as a violent threat or domestic terrorist. They called those accusations outright lies. Video footage from the scene shows that Pretti never pulled the handgun he was legally carrying in his waistband. The family says the gun appears to have been removed by an officer before he was shot.
In their statement, they condemned what they called “sickening lies” told about their son. They said the footage clearly shows Alex holding only his phone in one hand, with his other hand empty and raised, as he tried to shield a woman while being pepper-sprayed. They urged the public to help share the truth about who their son really was, ending the statement by saying simply that Alex was a good man.
