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By Lydia Patrick
Life & Trends Reporter
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Jamie Lee Curtis has shared a blunt three-word message after protests erupted in Minnesota following a second fatal shooting involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Demonstrations broke out after the shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, who was killed during an encounter with Border Patrol officers on January 24. According to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statement, Pretti approached officers while carrying a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. Officials said agents attempted to disarm him, but he "violently persisted," prompting one officer to open fire.
However, that account has been disputed by both state officials and video footage circulating online. One clip appears to show Pretti holding a phone in one hand while his other is empty in the moments before he is shot. Newsweek reached out to the White House and ICE's press office for comment via email outside of their usual working hours.
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The actress and producer responded to the unfolding unrest by sharing a nine-photo carousel on Instagram capturing scenes from the protests, including armed officers and clouds of tear gas. "THIS IS AMERICA!" she captioned the post.
A GoFundMe campaign launched for Pretti’s family has already surpassed its $1 million goal, raising $1,068,305 to help cover funeral and legal expenses. Pretti was a registered nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital.
His parents strongly rejected the federal government’s account of the shooting in a joint statement. "The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed."
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told Newsweek on Saturday: "This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."
The shooting comes just weeks after another fatal incident involving ICE in Minnesota—the death of Renee Nicole Good, also 37—further fueling public outrage and protests across the state.
Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, was shot by an immigration agent on January 7 while sitting in her vehicle. ICE officials said the agent acted in self-defense, claiming he believed Good was attempting to run him over.
That account was later rejected by state and local officials, with the city’s mayor, Jacob Frey, publicly calling for federal agents to leave. Good’s family subsequently hired a private attorney to conduct an independent investigation and autopsy.
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The family’s report found that Good was shot at least three times, sustaining injuries to her head, arm and breast. Preliminary findings stated that, while the first two gunshots were not life-threatening, the third bullet entered the left side of her temple and exited the right side of her head.
Curtis’s post drew an emotional response from followers, many of whom praised her for using her platform to highlight the violence.
"Thank you for always using your platform - THIS," wrote Contessa Redfern.
"This is my beloved Minnesota," said Janis Hyannis.
"Absolutely horrific. We have to get louder," shared another user.
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