Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is demanding the immediate cessation of federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis following Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents, marking a significant stance from a lawmaker who has consistently supported immigration enforcement efforts.
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Monday, Fetterman called for an end to the Minnesota crackdown, describing the situation as dangerous and incompatible with American values.
The senator characterized the Minneapolis operation as having transformed into an ungovernable and dangerous environment that threatens both civilians and law enforcement personnel.
Despite his call to end the specific operation, Fetterman maintained his position supporting border security and the deportation of criminal migrants, while also advocating for a pathway to citizenship for families who contribute to American society.
The Pennsylvania senator serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Border Management and has described himself as a pro-immigration Democrat who nevertheless believes in securing the nation’s borders.
Fetterman’s position represents a departure from many of his Democratic colleagues who have called for the complete defunding of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The senator explicitly stated to Fox News that he continues to reject such calls.
The comments come amid controversy within Fetterman’s own household, as his wife Gisele Barreto Fetterman has publicly criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies on social media.
Resist the Mainstream previously reported that Gisele Barreto Fetterman, who lived as an undocumented immigrant in the United States for over a decade after arriving from Brazil as a child, posted to X on Sunday describing the current enforcement operations as terror rather than law and order.
The fatal shooting that prompted Fetterman’s call for the operation’s end occurred when Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed by Border Patrol agents while filming federal officers on a Minneapolis street.
Federal officials assert that Pretti approached agents with a 9 mm handgun and resisted efforts to disarm him, though witnesses have disputed whether Pretti posed an actual threat to the agents.
Fox highlighted that President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal that his administration is reviewing all aspects of the incident but did not indicate whether the agent’s actions were appropriate.
The shooting has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic leaders and Trump administration critics, with former President Bill Clinton issuing a statement calling the incident an unacceptable tragedy that should have been avoided.
Fetterman expressed sympathy for the families of both Pretti and Renee Good, who was fatally shot by ICE agents on Jan. 7, stating both individuals should still be alive.
The senator outlined his position on government funding, emphasizing he will never vote to shut down the government and noting that defunding ICE through such measures would be ineffective given the Department of Homeland Security received $178 billion in funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Fetterman called for a conversation on the DHS appropriations bill and expressed support for removing it from the minibus spending package, though he acknowledged such action is unlikely and could result in another government shutdown.
The Trump administration responded to the controversy by deploying White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, Resist the Mainstream reported, with Homan set to manage ICE operations on the ground and coordinate fraud investigations while reporting directly to the president.
