JD Vance has made some brutal comments about Alex Pretti, the Veteran Affairs nurse who was shot by Border Patrol agents in Minnesota. Now, the Vice President is refusing to apologize to Pretti’s family, after he called him an “assassin.”
Following the tragic shooting last month, Trump administration officials persistently defended the agents, while simultaneously accusing Pretti of committing “an act of domestic terrorism.”
JD Vance reposted a tweet from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, where he wrote, “An assassin tried to murder federal agents, and this is your response.”
Wow! @StephenM Miller calls the lawfully permitted owner of a gun, his right to keep and bear arms protected the 2nd Amendment, an “assassin” pic.twitter.com/yJFw8VXdfT
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) January 24, 2026
This week, Vance was asked if he would apologize to Pretti’s family for endorsing Miller’s brutal comments. The Vice President reacted, “For what?” He later told The Daily Mail, “If something is determined that the guy who shot Alex Pretti did something bad, then a lot of consequences are going to flow from that. We’ll let that happen… I don’t think it’s smart to prejudge the investigation.”
Meanwhile, the agents who were involved in the shootings have been placed on administrative leave as the probe continues. However, officials like JD Vance insist that the immigration officers have “full immunity.”
Alex Pretti’s death comes mere weeks after another U.S. citizen was killed by ICE in Minnesota. Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot by Jonathan Ross. Her act was also dubbed “an act of domestic terrorism” by the Trump administration.
The rampant killings have sparked massive outrage nationwide as critics called for a full shutdown of ICE operations. Civil rights groups also want the administration to take some accountability or make some changes to federal enforcement practices.
When I was in Minneapolis, I heard a number of crazy stories. But near the top of the list:
A couple of off duty ICE and CBP officers were going to dinner in Minneapolis. They were doxed and their location revealed, and the restaurant was then mobbed. The officers were locked in…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 25, 2026
Although Pretti died after being taken to the hospital, the medical examiner’s report attributes his death to being shot by law enforcement officers. While justifying his position, JD Vance told Daily Mail, “I’m not going to prejudge these guys. I think that everybody is deserved the presumption of innocence in the American system of justice. That’s how it’s going to work.”
“If they find out that he violated the law, of course, you should face consequences for violating the law. But I’m not going to engage in conjecture about the different permutations of how this or that officer might have violated the law,” he added.
“Let’s do the investigation. Let’s figure out, did these officers have a reasonable fear of Alex Pretti given what happened? Did they engage in lawful conduct or unlawful conduct? Let’s let the investigation determine those things,” said Vance.
