ICE agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation in Minneapolis on Saturday. This was not random. There were no innocent bystanders that ICE was attempting to scoop up. It was a federal operation taking place in a major U.S. city, carried out by trained agents doing their job under lawful authority.
The target was JOSE HUERTA-CHUMA, an ILLEGAL ALIEN from Ecuador, with a documented criminal history, including DOMESTIC ASSAULT, ATTEMPTED BODILY HARM, AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT. In other words, a violent criminal.
While agents were in the middle of that operation, a woman inserted herself. Perhaps the woman thought that, because she was a woman, the agents would not use force to remove her. That woman was wrong. She was forcefully shoved off the road by an agent. Another man, not the original target, decided to confront the agent. That man was ALEX PRETTI, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and nurse.
Pretti was pepper-sprayed by an agent. He did not disengage. Pretti was armed with a handgun which he drew while engaged with the agents. This is visible on multiple videos from the scene.
The agents attempted to disarm him. A violent struggle ensued. The result was Pretti being shot and killed because he represented an imminent threat to the lives of the officers as well as innocent bystanders.
This is a tragedy. However, this is what happens when a person brings a gun into a volatile law-enforcement situation and refuses to disengage. One does not get to rush toward armed federal agents and then play victim when consequences follow. Pretending to be shocked when force is used in the height of hypocrisy.
Why did Pretti bring a gun and extra ammo to a situation involving lawful enforcement of federal laws? I understand that he had a lawful right to carry but a little common sense might have suggested that this was unwise.
Where were the Minneapolis police? Why do local and state officials refuse to allow local law enforcement to help identify the location of dangerous illegal aliens? Why are these officers prohibited from assisting in crowd control?
The people who die are never the ones who told them to show up. And yes, they were told to show up. These riots are not organic. They are astroturf operations. Some “protesters” have even admitted that they are being paid to be there.
Signal chat groups have been identified as being used to stalk and impede federal immigration activities in Minnesota. At least two Democrat Minnesota state officials and a campaign adviser to Tim Walz, Amanda Koehler, have allegedly been identified as “admins” and “dispatchers” in at least one such Signal chat group.
These chat groups then send out messages for where people should show up. This leads to a very chaotic situation on the ground for federal agents.
Federal agents are in Minneapolis executing lawful warrants. This is not new. Deportations happened under President Obama, under presidents before him, and they will continue under any administration that enforces federal law.
The amount of violence is off the scale in Minnesota. This is trending towards being another “Summer of Love” there. Is this because there is far more deportation activity going on there?
Definitely not. 23% of all ICE arrests occur in Texas. Only 2.2% occur in Minnesota. Why such violence in Minnesota? Because Democratic leaders are promoting and encouraging such violence. Violence is their goal.
Why? More on this tomorrow.