Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is calling for an immediate end to the Minnesota immigration crackdown after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti Saturday by federal law enforcement, he said in comment to Fox News Digital. 

«The operation in Minneapolis should stand down and immediately end,» Fetterman said Monday in a comment to Fox News Digital. «It has become an ungovernable and dangerous urban theatre for civilians and law enforcement that is incompatible with the American spirit.» 

«As a very pro-immigration Democrat and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Border Management, I believe our nation deserves a secured border and that we should deport all criminal migrants,» he continued. «I also believe there needs to be a path to citizenship for those hardworking families who are here.» 

Fetterman’s comments on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation follow his vocal support of federal law enforcement officers, breaking with many Democrat colleagues who have called for the end to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and for ICE overall to be defunded. 

FORMER ICE AGENT CALLS POLICE NON-COOPERATION ‘FORMULA FOR DISASTER’ AFTER SECOND MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING DEATH

«Secure the border. Deport all the criminals. Stop targeting the hardworking migrants in our nation,» Fetterman posted to X earlier in January. 

Fetterman added in his statement Monday that he continues to buck calls to defund ICE. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman’s office Monday morning inquiring about his wife’s X post blasting the Trump administration’s immigration policies, even as her husband has publicly backed federal immigration officers.

«For more than a decade, I lived undocumented in the US. Every day carried the same uncertainty and fear lived in my body – a tight chest, shallow breaths, racing heart,» the senator’s wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, wrote Sunday. «What I thought was my private, chronic dread has now become a shared national wound.»

«This now-daily violence is not ‘law and order.’ It is terror inflicted on people who contribute, love and build their lives here,» she continued. «It’s devastatingly cruel and unAmerican.»

Gisele Barreto Fetterman previously has discussed moving to the U.S. from Brazil as a child, including as an illegal immigrant for a decade.  

Alex Pretti, 37, was fatally shot Saturday by Border Patrol agents in Minnesota while filming federal officers on a Minneapolis street. Federal officials say Pretti approached agents with a 9 mm handgun and resisted disarmament, while witnesses have cast doubt on if Pretti, an ICU nurse, posed a threat to agents. 

President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal Sunday that his administration is «reviewing everything,» surrounding the case, but did not say whether the agent who shot Pretti acted appropriately.

Sen. John Fetterman participates in a debate, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (Steven Senne, File/The Associated Press )

The fatal shooting, which follows the Jan. 7 fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good, has sparked outrage among Democrats and critics of the president who say Trump administration immigration policies are causing chaos for communities, while describing the shooting deaths of the two Americans as «murder.»

ANTI-ICE AGITATORS CLASH WITH FEDERAL AGENTS AT MINNEAPOLIS HOTEL, AS AGENTS DEPLOY TEAR GAS, FLASHBANGS

Former President Bill Clinton, for example, issued a searing rebuke of the immigration crackdown following Pretti’s death, calling it an «unacceptable» tragedy that «should have been avoided.»

A man arrested by federal agents moments prior escapes in handcuffs after tear gas went off, Jan. 21, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Angelina Katsanis/The Associated Press )

Fetterman said in comment to Fox News Digital that «Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti should still be alive» and that his «family grieves for theirs.» 

«I’ve also spent significant time hearing many different positions on the funding bills and maintain that I will never vote to shut our government down, especially our Defense Department.

«Additionally, a vote to shut our government down will not defund ICE. DHS has $178B in funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which I did not vote for,» he said. «I reject the calls to defund or abolish ICE. I strongly disagree with many strategies and practices ICE deployed in Minneapolis, and believe that must change.»

«I want a conversation on the DHS appropriations bill and support stripping it from the minibus,» he continued. «It is unlikely that will happen and our country will suffer another shutdown. We must find a way forward and I remain committed to being a voice of reason and common sense.» 

JD VANCE SHARES ‘CRAZY’ STORY OF ICE AND CBP OFFICERS BEING MOBBED IN MINNEAPOLIS

A Minnesota National Guard vehicle blocks off a road near the scene of a shooting earlier in the day, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis.  (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Trump announced Monday that he was deploying White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, and that he will report directly to the president. 

«Tom Homan will be managing ICE operations on the ground in Minnesota and coordinating with others on the ongoing fraud investigations,» White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox Digital Monday. 

Leavitt said Monday during a White House press briefing that the administration is calling on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to agree in order to bring peace to the Twin Cities. 

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«Number one, Governor Walz, Mayor Frye and all Democrat leaders should turn over all criminal illegal aliens currently incarcerated in their prisons and jails to federal authorities, along with any illegal aliens with active warrants or known criminal histories for immediate deportation,» Leavitt said. «Number two, state and local law enforcement must agree to turn over all illegal aliens who are arrested by local police. And then thirdly, local police must assist federal law enforcement in apprehending and detaining illegal aliens who are wanted for crimes, especially violent crimes.»

Walz and Trump shared what was described as a productive phone call Monday morning, with the state calling on the president to work together to quell the chaos, Trump said on Truth Social. 

Chinese state-linked hackers breached mobile phones at «the heart of Downing Street» amid a global cyber-espionage campaign over several years targeting telecommunication networks, according to reports.

U.S. officials first alerted its allies in 2024 after finding out that hacking groups had gained access to telecom companies around the world, according to The Associated Press.

The campaign reportedly targeted multiple countries, including the U.S. and the other members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance: Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The breaches allegedly gave China access to the phone data of millions and the possible ability to eavesdrop on calls, read text messages and track users’ locations.

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The hackers also had the ability to record calls «at will» according to Anne Neuberger, who was a deputy U.S. national security adviser between January 2021 and January 2025, The Telegraph reported.

Neuberger said that the «Chinese gained access to networks and essentially had broad and full access,» giving them the capability to «geolocate millions of individuals, to record phone calls at will.»

U.S. intelligence agencies believe the breaches date back to at least 2021, but they were only identified and disclosed by U.S. authorities in 2024.

SECRET ROOM TO BE BUILT AT CHINESE EMBASSY NEAR CABLE LINES, SPARKING WIDESPREAD ESPIONAGE FEARS

A source told The Telegraph that the breach went «right into the heart of Downing Street.» (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

In 2024, The Associated Press reported that U.S. federal authorities urged telecommunication companies to boost network security. The guidance, issued by the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was to help root out the hackers and prevent similar attacks in the future.

A joint cybersecurity advisory was issued in August 2025, with the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and allied partners warning that Chinese state-sponsored actors were targeting networks globally.

«The malicious activity outlined in the advisory partially overlaps with cybersecurity industry reporting on Chinese state-sponsored threat actors referred to by names such as Salt Typhoon,» an NSA release said.

In the U.K., officials raised concerns that senior government figures may also have been exposed. One source told The Telegraph that the breach went «right into the heart of Downing Street.»

MASSIVE TELECOM BUST IN MAJOR CITY IS ‘WAKE-UP CALL’ AS FOREIGN ADVERSARIES THREATEN US SECURITY: EXPERTS

There were reportedly «many» hacking attacks on phones across the British government, particularly under the tenure of Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)

Similarly, The Telegraph was told that there were «many» different hacking attacks on the phones of Downing Street staff and across wider government, especially when Rishi Sunak was prime minister between 2022 and 2024.

Yuval Wollman, a former Israeli intelligence chief, also told The Telegraph that Salt Typhoon was «one of the most prominent names» in the cyber-espionage world.

«While much of the public reporting has focused on U.S. targets, Salt Typhoon’s operations have extended into Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where it has targeted telecoms firms, government entities and technology companies,» Wollman of cybersecurity platform CyberProof added.

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In the past, China’s foreign ministry dismissed the claims as «baseless» and «lacking evidence,» according to The Telegraph.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Downing Street for comment.

As this weekend’s blizzard blew through the Empire State, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul received blowback for her response to an offer of federal assistance from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose office oversees FEMA.

State snowfall totals topped 22 inches in West Shokan, Ulster County, outside Saugerties, while New City received 17.5 inches, Golden’s Bridge near the Connecticut line in Westchester County received 16.5 inches, Huguenot on Staten Island received 14 inches, and Levittown on Long Island received 13 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Instead of confirming she accepted DHS’s offer to help, Hochul indicated she took the opportunity to criticize federal immigration enforcement:

«Secretary Noem offered assistance to New York ahead of the impending snowstorm,» Hochul said over the weekend.

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«I shared that the fastest way to help is for ICE to back off so people feel safe accessing warming centers, shelters, hospitals, and houses of worship.»

Her response was not well received by several prominent New Yorkers and New York entities.

«Worst governor in history,» the Staten Island Young Republicans said in a statement on X.

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NYC Scoop, a popular account sharing events and happenings in New York City, similarly fumed at the governor.

«You literally just told a U.S. Cabinet Secretary offering FREE blizzard relief to f— off because ICE might make your illegal alien constituents feel ‘unsafe’,» NYC Scoop said.

«You’re not a governor. You’re a border checkpoint for cartels. Resign, you treasonous ice queen.»

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Conservative strategist and former Ted Cruz staffer Steve Guest said the governor is «prioritizing politics over her constituents, and people are already dying.»

Guest included a screenshot of a WNBC report of three New Yorkers who had died from the sub-freezing temperatures during the storm.

When asked about the tweet, White House spokesman Kush Desai rebuked the governor:

«What a surprise — while President Trump and his entire Administration have taken steps to ensure all Americans have the resources they need to recover from this historic winter storm, Democrats instead are, once again, prioritizing the well-being of criminal illegal aliens.»

Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman responded in a statement, saying that the governor — who he is challenging this year — «actually rejected federal assistance that was offered to help keep people safe.»

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«When lives are at risk, you don’t turn down help,» Blakeman said.

Another X critic compared the situation to New York’s underuse of military medical ships docked off Manhattan during COVID-19, saying that Democrats did not want to dignify them because President Donald Trump sent them.

However, a source familiar with the situation said Hochul never rejected federal assistance and that all storm-related requests from local governments were supported by Albany.

Hochul later tweeted a call for U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino to be fired and for Noem to resign.

HOCHUL CONFRONTED ICE AGENT, SAID HE WAS ‘TERRORIZING PEOPLE’ BY WEARING A MASK

«[Noem] has forfeited her right to lead,» Hochul said, further suggesting Bovino is acting as if he is «above the law.»

Later Monday, she also said that President Donald Trump’s dispatch of Border Czar Tom Homan to Minnesota won’t undo «harm» done by his administration.

In a lighter message, Hochul quipped that as a «governor from Buffalo,» she knows how to handle a snowstorm.

The eyes of the nation often see the kind of hefty snowfall that accumulates in the western New York area during televised Buffalo Bills games in the NFL playoffs.

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«Push it out of the way — no strain on the back doing that… don’t lift much; smaller bits, OK — don’t do a big pile and fill this up because that can lead to a heart attack,» Hochul said in the clip.

In response to Blakeman’s retort, Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki told Fox News Digital, «After blaming Renée Good for her own killing by ICE, Bruce Blakeman is showing New Yorkers yet again that there’s no low he won’t stoop to for Donald Trump – no matter how far he goes to trample over Americans’ rights.»

«New Yorkers want a governor with a backbone who will protect our state from Trump’s abuses of power, not a spineless coward who defends violence against Americans when it suits him politically,» Radulovacki said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul for comment on the criticisms, and to DHS for comment on the situation.