White House Aide Stephen Miller Alters Stance on Fatal Border Patrol Incident
Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and architect of Donald Trump's immigration policies, has significantly shifted his position regarding the Border Patrol shooting of Alex Pretti. This comes after Miller previously described the 37-year-old nurse as 'an assassin' who 'tried to murder federal agents'.
Details of the Minneapolis Shooting and Miller's Revised Statement
Pretti was shot dead in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday during a targeted immigration enforcement operation. In a statement released on Tuesday, Miller appeared to pivot from his initial inflammatory remarks. 'The initial statement from DHS was based on reports from CBP on the ground,' he told The Daily Mail.
Miller added that extra personnel dispatched to Minnesota for the Department of Homeland Security were intended for 'conducting fugitive operations to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.' He concluded by stating, 'We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol.'
Internal Administration Turmoil and Blame Game
Miller now potentially faces being made the scapegoat for the Minneapolis incident, with Axios citing six sources within the administration who are placing responsibility on him. This group reportedly includes DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. One source quoted Noem, who claimed Miller had oversight of her work, saying: 'Everything I've done, I've done at the direction of the president and Stephen.'
Notably, Miller was absent from a two-hour meeting held by President Trump with key advisors on Monday night, convened at Noem's request. During this meeting, a source told Axios that Noem 'made sure to emphasize she took direction from Miller and the president' and expressed feeling 'hung out to dry'.
However, another source explicitly defended Miller, stating that Border Patrol Commander at Large Greg Bovino 'should be blamed, not Stephen.' They asserted that Bovino was the official providing information to the White House from the scene. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added: 'Stephen Miller is one of President Trump's most trusted and longest-serving aides. The president loves Stephen.'
Political Reactions and Presidential Distance
Vice President JD Vance reposted Miller's initial claim about Pretti, while Secretary Noem described Pretti as having attacked officers and labelled him a 'domestic terrorist'. President Trump has since distanced himself from these initial characterizations. On Tuesday, he stated he flat out disagreed with Miller calling Pretti 'an assassin'.
During a brief discussion with The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, the commander-in-chief appeared reluctant to fully defend the unidentified agent who shot Pretti in broad daylight, expressing dismay over the death. 'I don't like any shooting. I don't like it,' Trump said. 'But I don't like it when somebody goes into a protest and he's got a very powerful, fully-loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn't play good either.'
In a show of apparent disapproval regarding Noem and Miller's handling of the situation, Trump removed Commander Bovino from Minneapolis on Tuesday. Bovino, who was backed by Noem, departed as Border Czar Tom Homan arrived to assume control.
Investigation and Official Reports
A new Border Patrol report states that two agents fired the ten shots that killed Alex Pretti. The report, based on a review of body-worn camera footage and agency documentation, does not mention the gun owner taking out his weapon. It claims that during an attempt to take Pretti into custody, a struggle ensued.
'During the struggle, a (Border Patrol agent) yelled, 'He's got a gun!' multiple times,' the report states. 'Approximately five seconds later, a (Border Patrol agent) discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a (Customs and Border Protection officer) also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti.' An agent subsequently took possession of Pretti's gun and secured it.
CBP personnel attempted life-saving measures, applying chest seals to his wounds at 9:02 am. Emergency services arrived three minutes later, and Pretti was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center at 9:32 am.
Contradictions and Ongoing Scrutiny
DHS officials have maintained that Pretti approached officers with a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun. However, witness videos from the scene appear to show Pretti holding his mobile phone up to the agents, not a firearm. He was filmed recording agents as they arrested a female protester before being tackled to the ground.
Footage suggests an officer took Pretti's weapon from his waistband moments before the shooting. Minneapolis police confirmed Pretti had no serious criminal history and was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit.
This incident marks the second fatal shooting this month by a federal officer in Minneapolis. Pretti was killed just over a mile from where Renee Good, 37, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on January 7th. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General has been notified, and investigations by DHS and the FBI are ongoing.
