Trump administration withdraws investigation into ‘ICE Barbie’ death in Minneapolis; FBI takes over

In the USA, the government dismisses 2 federal agents who killed an American citizen in Minneapolis The Trump administration handed over leadership of the investigation into the murder of nurse Alex Pretti during a protest in Minneapolis, which was in charge of the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Investigations Division into the hands of the FBI. The information was confirmed by the department’s spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, to the American broadcaster CBS this Friday (30). ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp Republicans join Democrats and call for the head of Kristi Noem, the ‘ICE Barbie’ The decision to leave the DHS division in charge of the investigation was initially unusual and raised questions among federal law enforcement authorities. They argued that the agency is not typically tasked with investigating officer-involved shootings and does not have the structure or equipment necessary to handle essential elements of such cases, such as ballistic analysis, forensics, firearms examination, video review and large-scale witness searches. The Department of Homeland Security, led by Kristi Noem, who has been called the “ICE Barbie”, has been the target of much criticism because of the brutality in operations against immigrants and the two deaths that occurred in Minneapolis. A person holds a sign with the image of Alex Pretti during a protest in front of the office of Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, on Monday (26), in Minneapolis. AP/Adam Gray Despite pressure from Republican allies, United States President Donald Trump continues to defend Noem’s work. This Thursday (28), Trump called Pretti, killed by Border Patrol agents, an “agitator”. He spoke out on his Truth Social profile after the release of a video showing the nurse involved in a fight with members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 11 days before his death. Trump says Pretti’s reputation has fallen dramatically with the new images. “Agitator and, perhaps, insurgent,” wrote the US president. He also says that “it was a demonstration of abuse and anger, for everyone to see, an act of madness and lack of control.” Video shows fight between ICE and Alex Pretti, a week before the nurse was killed Pretti was shot dead by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis last Saturday (24) during a large demonstration in the city against the Trump administration’s operation. The officers threw him to the ground and restrained him, but opened fire when they realized he had a gun in his waistband. They shot him more than ten times after confiscating his gun. The protest he was at was one of many that have been taking place in the city since a US citizen, Renee Nicole Good, was shot to death by an immigration agent on January 7 during a stop. Renee was driving a car that the agent claimed had advanced on him, and Trump administration officials and the president himself reinforced that narrative. Videos of the incident show, however, that officer Jonathan Ross was not hit by the vehicle before the shot. Border czar Tom Homan said this Thursday (29) that the White House is considering reducing ICE agents in the state. This week, the head of the anti-immigration operation, Gregory Bovino, was removed from his position, according to US news agencies and media.

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