Hundreds march in south Minneapolis to honor Alex Pretti

Christopher Magan, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Feb 21, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — Hundreds gathered in Minneapolis’ Whittier Park on Saturday, Feb. 21, to mark the month that has passed since Alex Pretti was shot by immigration agents.

On a sunny day with temperatures in the teens, organizers handed out signs at 11 a.m. and led chants through megaphones. The crowd also honored Renee Good, who was shot and killed Jan. 7 on Portland Avenue, and Julio Sosa-Celis, who was shot and injured in north Minneapolis on Jan. 14.

The protest was a first for Minneapolis resident Jon Kise. He said he came because he was angry about how federal agents treated observers and protesters.

“It’s about freedom,” Kise said. “It is time for everybody to show some support.”

Fellow Minneapolis resident Char Klarquist said it was important for her to gather with her neighbors in difficult times.

“I think it is healing for us. We need each other. We need to know we are not alone,” Klarquist said.

The event’s organizers — the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump — also noted that Victor Manuel Diaz, a Nicaraguan immigrant who was detained in Minneapolis, died Jan. 14 while being held in a federal detention center in Texas.

Speakers were critical of local leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, who they said did not do enough to combat Operation Metro Surge.

Border czar Tom Homan said Feb. 12 the immigration enforcement operation was winding down. But protesters were skeptical, with many saying they still saw regular detentions around the Twin Cities.

Several speakers demanded all deportations end and all Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents leave the state. They praised efforts to ban agents from wearing masks and to require them to wear identification.

After speeches, protesters marched through the Whittier neighborhood behind a slow-moving green pickup. In the back of the truck, organizers led chants through a public address system.

The march went north along Lyndale Avenue and then east on Franklin Avenue before heading down Nicollet Avenue near where Pretti was killed.

Minneapolis police stayed out of sight, and people in reflective vests helped control traffic.

The march ended with a moment of silence about a half a block away from the growing memorial to Pretti. He had been recording agents and tried to help a woman they had pushed to the ground.

Videos show agents spraying Pretti with chemical irritant, pinning him on the ground, removing the holstered gun he was licensed to carry and shooting him multiple times. The two Customs and Border Protection agents who shot Pretti were placed on leave while the killing is investigated. They have not been identified.

After Saturday’s march, many of the participants walked the short distance to the memorial site. They left mementos and wrote messages to Pretti, an intensive care nurse who worked at the Minneapolis Veterans Medical Center.

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(Erin Adler of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.)

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