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DHS Rips the Doxing of Agents Involved in the Alex Pretti Shooting: Why It Matters, What It Says About Trust, and Where the Debate Is Headed
In late January 2026, the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis resident and Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, by federal immigration officers sparked national outrage, widespread protests, and intense media scrutiny. The debate surrounding this tragic incident has extended far beyond the streets of Minneapolis and into wider conversations about how law enforcement can—and should—operate in public, especially when actions result in civilian deaths. One particularly contentious aspect has been the doxing of federal agents involved in the encounter, prompting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue a forceful condemnation of such actions.
The Incident That Sparked It All: The Killing of Alex Pretti
On January 24, 2026, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed during a confrontation with federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. The operation was part of a broader surge of immigration enforcement activities.
According to official DHS reporting, two federal officers fired their weapons during the encounter, though the agency did not initially release clear details about the circumstances and left out identifying the officers involved. The encounter escalated after agents attempted to take Pretti into custody, leading to physical struggle and shots being fired. DHS’s initial narrative characterized the situation as defensive, stating that Pretti had “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a handgun” and that agents fired “defensive shots.” However, that account has been challenged by videos captured by bystanders, which appear to show Pretti holding a phone moments before he was subdued and shot. The gun — legally owned with a Minnesota permit — was reportedly taken from his person before many of the shots were fired.
What makes this particular case unique — and politically explosive — is that it followed a preceding fatal shooting in Minneapolis of Renée Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, by an ICE agent earlier in January. The close timing and similarity of the events intensified scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement tactics and raised new questions about when and how lethal force should be used.
Why the Doxing Debate Exploded
In the days after Pretti’s death, ProPublica — a nonprofit investigative outlet — reported the identities of the two federal immigration agents alleged to have fired the shots that killed him. The agents were named as Jesus “Jesse” Ochoa and Raymundo Gutierrez, both assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as part of an enforcement operation.
This identification set off a fierce reaction from DHS. In a formal statement regarding agency policy on releasing agents’ identities, DHS said it would “never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers” — asserting that publishing such personal details endangers the lives of agents and their families. The statement described agents as operating “on the frontlines arresting terrorists, gang members, murderers, pedophiles, and rapists” and warned that harmful rhetoric and doxing place them at risk from violent extremists and hostile actors.
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