Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a CNN interview on Sunday, describing the shooting of 37-year-old armed individual Alex Pretti in Minneapolis as a clear “execution.”
The congresswoman urged protesters to persist in their actions on social media as violence escalates in the city.
During her CNN appearance, Ocasio-Cortez stated, “There’s a second angle that appears to be circulating much closer to the incident where you see the victim, I believe his name is Alex Pretti, and immediately preceding that incident an ICE officer had pushed violently a woman to the ground, and he had come over to help get her up. And that is what precipitated this incident. That very quickly led to an execution, a deadly shooting in the street. What we are seeing here is a momentous, pivotal moment for the United States. And I cannot underscore enough how precipitous this moment is.”
In an unexpected turn, the anti-gun Democratic Socialist defended the Second Amendment. She said, “ICE and CBP, what we’re seeing here, we will see which agencies were responsible, but at the end of the day, under this so-called excuse of border security, where Minneapolis is over 300 miles from the United States border, we have an unleashing of federal agents and violence, exerting a tremendous amount of violence and loss of life against the American people who are well within their First Amendment rights. And in this case, it seems as though well within their Second Amendment rights.”
WATCH:
“Do not let this administration intimidate you out of using your First Amendment right to organize and mobilize against what we know is wrong. We must remember: we outnumber them. We can’t allow them to divide us. We must stay united to fight for a better future for all of us.”
— Team AOC (@TeamAOC) January 24, 2026
Sharing part of the interview on social media, AOC’s campaign account reiterated her message, encouraging action against the administration.
The call for protest comes as tensions rise, including a reported incident where a protester bit off a finger of a federal agent and the establishment of an “autonomous zone” by demonstrators.
Democratic leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz, have condemned ICE’s presence in the city but have not intervened against violent protesters.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:
