A Fox News reporter claims staff morale within the Department of Homeland Security is at a “catastrophic” low after the public killing of Alex Pretti by an immigration officer.
Pretti, 37, was shot dead in Minneapolis on Saturday by a masked federal agent during a protest over ICE raids. Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7 in the same area.
In a post on X on Sunday, Bill Melugin, congressional correspondent for Fox News, said he had spoken to over half a dozen federal sources in immigration enforcement, including several in senior positions, about their disappointment with the department’s handling of the fatal shooting.
Melugin said his sources admitted they had grown “uneasy and frustrated” with the “claims and narratives” pushed by DHS after Pretti’s death.
As happened after the killing of Good, Pretti was immediately labelled a “domestic terrorist” by DHS officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The DHS claimed an agent shot Pretti in self-defense and that the ICU nurse had a handgun and had resisted attempts to disarm him.
Noem said Pretti “had a weapon on him, and multiple—dozens—of rounds of ammunition; wishing to inflict harm on these officers, coming, brandishing like that.”
She added, “This individual impeded the law enforcement officers and attacked them.”
Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol commander, said it resembled a “situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Pretti’s family have challenged that narrative, while footage of the incident does not show him using force against the agents during a protest over the ongoing ICE raids in Minnesota that were sanctioned by the Trump administration.
“Specifically, I’m told there is extreme frustration with DHS officials going on TV and putting out statements claiming that Alex Pretti was intending to conduct a ‘massacre’ of federal agents or wanted to carry out ‘maximum damage’, even after numerous videos appeared to show those claims were inaccurate,” Melugin posted.
“These sources say this messaging from DHS officials has been catastrophic from a PR and morale perspective, as it is eroding trust and credibility.”
Melugin said one of his sources claimed DHS’ response to the tragedy is “making the situation worse,” while another said “we are losing this war, we are losing the base and the narrative.”
NEW: Since yesterday’s deadly shooting in MN, I’ve talked to more than half a dozen federal sources involved immigration enforcement, including several in senior positions, who all tell me they have grown increasingly uneasy & frustrated w/ some of the claims & narratives DHS…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 25, 2026
They also complained that ICE was being blamed for the actions of Border Patrol, which is a different agency within Homeland Security that is not usually used for immigration enforcement in the country’s interior.
The Daily Beast has contacted the DHS and the White House for comment.
DHS told Melugin there had been a “highly coordinated” campaign of violence against their law enforcement officers.
“This individual committed a federal crime while armed as he obstructed an active law enforcement operation. As with any situation that is evolving, we work to give swift, accurate information to the American people as more information becomes available.”
On Sunday, President Donald Trump made a lengthy Truth Social post which did not mention Pretti or Good by name, and blamed Democrats for not cooperating with ICE officers in Minnesota.
“By doing this, Democrats are putting Illegal Alien Criminals over Taxpaying, Law-Abiding Citizens, and they have created dangerous circumstances for EVERYONE involved,” Trump posted. “Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos.”
Trump was interviewed on Sunday about Pretti’s death, but dodged the question of whether the agent who fatally shot him had done the right thing.
Instead, he said his administration would investigate the death, which was caught on camera.
“We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal.
The president had posted a photo, reportedly of a gun legally owned by Pretti, on Truth Social on Saturday, without mentioning the ICU nurse had been killed by ICE agents.
“I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it,” Trump told the WSJ. “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.”
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