Alex Pretti's Parents Call Trump Administration's Claims About Their Son Sickening Lies

Michael and Susan Pretti, parents of Alex Pretti, released a statement calling the Trump administration's characterization of their son 'sickening lies' and 'reprehensible.' The statement read: 'We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world.' Addressing the federal claims directly: '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 has 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.' The family had warned Alex two weeks earlier: 'go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid.' Pretti had no prior law enforcement interactions beyond traffic tickets.

"The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting" — Family statement released January 24, 2026