Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel fought back tears as he delivered an emotional monologue condemning the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse killed by Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agents in Minneapolis. The killing, which occurred amid the Donald Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, has sparked widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny of federal law enforcement tactics. Alex Pretti’s death came just weeks after another fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis, involving a woman named Renee Good.
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host said he has been struggling to process a disturbing pattern of violence unfolding in the city.
“I spent the weekend like probably a lot of you did, looking at my phone and just feeling shocked and sick at what’s happening in Minneapolis,” Kimmel told viewers, his voice cracking early in the monologue. He launched into a blistering critique of federal agents, calling them “a gang of poorly trained, shamefully led, mask-wearing goons.”
“Just one atrocity after another being committed by this gang,” Kimmel said, adding, “And that is what they are: They’re goons committing vile, heartless and even criminal acts.”
Kimmel argued that video footage of the incident contradicted official accounts from federal authorities as he said, “We see these videos in which we clearly see one of our fellow Americans executed by ICE and they won’t even admit that it was a mistake!”- referring to both Alex Pretti’s killing and the earlier fatal shooting of Renee Good.
Kimmel focused on the government’s justification that Alex Pretti posed a threat because he was carrying a firearm in an open-carry state where he had a legal permit.
“They say the gun Alex Pretti had a license to carry in an open carry state- a right many of these same people screamed very loud about when it was Kyle Rittenhouse carrying the gun- a gun that Alex Pretti did not even draw, did not touch,” he said, adding, “They fired 10 times onto an ICU nurse, they’re telling us, ‘well, it was justified, you know?'”
The host became visibly emotional as he spoke about how the crisis felt close to home.
“Every day is a nightmare now,” he said, noting that he and his wife have family in Minneapolis who are afraid to go about their daily lives.
“Is that the law and order that you voted for, if you voted for this? How does this end? What’s the plan here?,” he asked viewers.
On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert also challenged the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the killing. He said, “Masked government agents disarmed an American citizen and then executed him in the streets. That’s what it looks like. They want you to believe that something didn’t happen when we all saw it happen with our own eyes.”
