Hero Worship on the Left
Segment #764
As a thinking reasonable person, one must be stunned and angered at how we are again being manipulated.
Facts first: We know provably by vdeo tape that Alex Pretti was obstructing ICE agents while he was carrying a loaded weapon. The law is very straight forward.
"ICE Watch" Group: DHS has officially identified Pretti as a member of an "ICE" watch group. The department describes these groups as organizations that follow and document immigration enforcement efforts with the intent to "impede" or "obstruct" lawful duties.
Prior Incidents: Federal officials noted that Pretti had a documented history of confronting agents. Eleven days prior to the shooting, he was involved in a protest where he was tackled after allegedly breaking a taillight on a federal SUV.
Official Characterization: High-ranking officials, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, have characterized his presence at the scene as an intentional act to "inflict maximum damage" and "perpetuate violence," suggesting his actions were part of a broader effort to disrupt federal operations.
Professional and Local Affiliations
Trade Union Membership: Pretti was a confirmed member of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). He worked as an ICU nurse at a Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital.
Anti-ICE Movements: He was active within the local "ICE Out of Minnesota" protest environment, which had intensified following the death of Renee Good earlier that month.
18 U.S.C. § 111: This statute covers "Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees." If an individual is found to be obstructing a federal agent while "using" or "possessing" a deadly or dangerous weapon, the maximum prison sentence increases from 8 years to 20 years.
The "Armed" Factor: Legally, the government does not necessarily need to prove the weapon was pointed at an agent to trigger enhanced obstruction charges; the mere presence of a loaded firearm during a physical struggle (as seen in the bystander videos) can be interpreted as "armed resistance."
In Pretti's case, he did engage in actions that appear to violate federal law in both encounters:
First encounter (January 13, 2026, ~11 days prior): Videos show him yelling expletives at federal immigration agents (ICE/CBP), spitting toward their vehicle, and kicking twice to shatter a taillight on a government SUV. Agents tackled him, but he broke free and ran; a gun was visible in his waistband (tucked in back), but he never reached for it. He reportedly suffered a broken rib from the takedown. No arrest was made at the time, but DHS is now reviewing it. This fits potential charges for property damage and resisting officers—clear federal violations, and being armed (even legally) could've amplified risks if prosecuted.
Second encounter (January 24, 2026): He intervened in a scuffle (standing between an agent and a shoved woman while filming), leading to him being pushed, pepper-sprayed, and tackled by multiple agents. He resisted during the struggle (flailing/struggling while on the ground), which aligns with § 111 violations. Agents yelled "He's got a gun!" (it was holstered), removed it ~5 seconds before firing 10+ shots into him while he was pinned and disarmed. He never drew or used the weapon, per videos and DHS reports. DOJ has now opened a civil rights probe into the shooting (as of Jan 30, 2026), expanding the FBI-led investigation.
There were a number of celebrities that had tears for Alex Pretti deifying him as a peaceful protestors seeking truth. Megyn points out correctly there are no tears for the women raped at the border, the 300,00 kids that were lost coming over he border, or the young women raped and murdered by illegal aliens.
Jimmy Kimmel cries for Alex Pretti who was shot for peacefully protesting and exceuted by ICE. Jimmy should be sued for slander and his abyssmal understanding of the law. He asks where are the reasonable voices?
This is intense but in my opinion well deserved when you don’t have the same compassion for the many families destroyed by illegal immigration.
Host of ‘The Megyn Kelly Show’ Megyn Kelly has blasted actress Natalie Portman for crying over the death of Alex Pretti but not Laken Riley. During a segment on Kelly’s show, she eviscerated the actress's “fake f******* tears” for Pretti but not for Laken Riley or Jocelyn Nungaray. Pretti was killed by Border Patrol agents on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as anti-Immigration & Customs Enforcement protests continue. In response to Pretti’s death, Portman broke down in tears, saying, “It’s been a horrible day”, before attacking Donald Trump, Kristi Noem and ICE. The host blasted the actress as a “rich b****” protected by guards and has no idea “what these border patrol agents are going through.”
The Alex Pretti Makeover
The left sold George Floyd as the perfect citizen tragically murdered by racist cops. We know that was BS (See “Fall of Minneapolis” documentary). Clearly they are going to market Pretti the same way.
Yes, photos exist of Alex Pretti (the ICU nurse fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026) that have been altered or enhanced using AI.The most widely discussed one is an AI-enhanced version of his official VA (Veterans Affairs) staff portrait. The original photo shows him in scrubs, while the altered version makes changes like broader shoulders, tanned skin, a less pronounced nose, and overall a "cleaner" or more "handsome" appearance—leading to criticism (e.g., from Joe Rogan and others) that it was done to make him seem more sympathetic in media coverage of his death.This AI-altered portrait aired on the network formerly known as MSNBC (referred to as MS NOW in reports), appeared on their website and YouTube as part of Nicole Wallace's show, and circulated widely among protesters and some outlets before backlash prompted corrections or swaps back to the original in some cases.Other AI-altered images related to the incident include:
Enhancements of low-quality video stills from the shooting scene (e.g., one showing agents surrounding Pretti, where AI created artifacts like a headless agent or deformed limbs—clear signs of manipulation).
Some viral edits falsely adding or altering details (e.g., implying he held a gun instead of a phone, or other "hallucinations" typical of AI tools).
Fact-checks from sources like Snopes, Reuters, PetaPixel, NY Post, and others confirm these alterations, often starting from poor-quality originals run through AI upscaling or editing tools. Not all circulating photos of Pretti are altered—authentic ones (like his VA handout portrait) exist and have been used in memorials and reporting.This fits into broader discussions about AI imagery eroding trust in media during high-profile events like this one.
The cable news channel MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, aired an AI-edited photo of Alex Pretti, the protester who was killed by border agents in Minneapolis.
MS NOW tells Snopes that it did not make the edit itself, rather it took the image from the internet without realizing that it had been edited.
Many, including podcaster Joe Rogan, criticized MS NOW for making Pretti “appear more handsome”. The edit makes Pretti’s shoulders appear broader, his skin more tanned, and his nose less pronounced.
A spokesperson from MS NOW tells Snopes that the network didn’t make the edit itself, the way Rogan and others have suggested. Indeed, other news organizations, including the Daily Mail and International Business Times, ran the same AI-enhanced image.
The embroidered text on Pretti’s shirt is garbled, a telltale sign of AI.
The Dangers of AI Upscaling
The original photo was sourced from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs official portrait of Pretti, where he worked as an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse. That image is a photo of a photo, hence the poor quality. Someone, it’s not clear who (likely an internet user), ran that lo-fi image through a generative AI model to get a clearer image of Pretti.
When feeding an image into an AI model like ChatGPT or Google’s Nano Banana and asking it to improve the quality, the AI takes the image and text as a prompt and creates a novel image. While it will be close to the original photo, it is no longer a representation of reality. AI models also have biases where it tends to make people better-looking, hence why Pretti appears more attractive.
MS NOW did not respond to PetaPixel’s request for clarification.
The Pretti portrait is not the only AI creation that spread misinformation from Minnesota. Another one that purportedly showed the moment Pretti was shot and killed was also AI-generated. Reuters reports the viral image does not match the multiple videos taken of Pretti’s death.
Meanwhile, the White House published a manipulated photo of a protester being arrested — altering the face of Nekima Levy Armstrong so it looked like she was crying with tears streaming down her face when in reality she wore a stoic expression.