The deadly confrontation that ended with Border Patrol agents shooting an anti-ICE agitator in Minneapolis on Saturday was not a spontaneous clash, but the result of a tightly organized far-left mobilization designed to interfere with federal law enforcement, a Fox News Digital investigation found.
Encrypted chats, street alerts and a sophisticated database tracking ICE vehicles show that activists were already gathering outside a donut shop on Nicollet Avenue minutes before any shots were fired. The agents were there to arrest a criminal illegal immigrant. Protesters, including 37-year-old Alex Pretti, were there to confront them.
Within hours of the shooting, a national network of socialist, communist and Marxist-Leninist organizations transformed the fatal encounter into a coordinated protest campaign stretching from Minneapolis to New York City and Los Angeles.
While grief over Pretti’s death was real, the speed and discipline of the response exposed an operation built to exploit tragedy, using viral clips, slogans and emojis to fuel confrontation with authorities.
“This level of engineered chaos is unique to Minneapolis. It is the direct consequence of far left agitators, working with local authorities,” Vice President JD Vance wrote Sunday on X.
Signal messages reviewed by Fox News Digital show anti-ICE “rapid responders” actively tracking and broadcasting the movements of federal agents outside Glam Doll Donuts before the shooting. At least 26 entries were logged in a shared database called “MN ICE Plates” in the hours surrounding the incident.
One entry labeled the location “at the nicollet murder,” while others tracked specific vehicles seen near the scene, including a maroon Dodge Durango and a black Ford Taurus.
At 9:50 a.m. ET, just minutes before the shooting, a Signal user posted a video showing agents near the donut shop. Another alert followed three minutes later calling for backup at a nearby parking lot.
ICE Assistant Director Marcos Charles later said the violence was “not a coincidence,” citing the chaos surrounding enforcement operations. Customs and Border Protection Commander Greg Bovino confirmed that Pretti had been on scene for several minutes before the fatal encounter.
Video footage shows Pretti stepping into traffic and fellow activists blowing whistles to warn of ICE presence. Moments later, he struggled with agents across the street from the donut shop. At about 10:05 a.m. ET, a CBP agent opened fire after officers yelled “gun,” killing Pretti.
By 10:18 a.m. ET, the Signal network erupted with urgent alerts calling for observers, medics and reinforcements. Supplies including masks, bottled water and winter hats appeared on sidewalks within minutes.
National activist groups quickly amplified the incident. BreakThrough News released a dramatic video labeling the shooting “Another CBP Shooting in Minneapolis,” racking up millions of views. The Party for Socialism and Liberation followed with graphics declaring “CBP MURDERS ANOTHER IN MINNEAPOLIS” and calling for a general strike.
The People’s Forum and Democratic Socialists of America issued similar calls for emergency protests, including a rally at Union Square in Manhattan. Speakers at the New York protest openly called for shutting down the country.
Media coverage largely omitted the ideological affiliations behind the demonstrations, even as protesters carried signs identifying socialist and communist groups.
Digital analysis shows many of the organizing groups are connected through a web of nonprofits funded by Neville Roy Singham, a self-described Marxist-Leninist billionaire living in Shanghai. Several organizations operate out of the People’s Forum, which declined to comment.
🧵🚨 MINNEAPOLIS SIGNAL INFILTRATED
I have infiltrated organizational signal groups all around Minneapolis with the sole intention of tracking down federal agents and impeding/assaulting/and obstructing them.
BUCKLE UP ALL WILL BE REVEALED
Each area of the city has a signal… pic.twitter.com/ATSHlCucWv
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) January 24, 2026
The Minneapolis activation mirrored past far-left mobilizations, including unrest following the death of George Floyd in 2020. Activists framed Pretti, an ICU nurse at a Veterans Administration hospital, as a symbol of resistance, similar to earlier ICE-related fatalities in the city.
Throughout the weekend, activists used inflammatory language comparing federal agents to Nazis and calling ICE an occupying force. Some posts falsely claimed Pretti was shot in the back multiple times.
By Sunday night, Signal alerts continued tracking suspected ICE vehicles around Minneapolis, feeding data into a public database containing thousands of entries labeled “Confirmed ICE” or “Abductors.”
Despite disclaimers claiming the data was not meant to interfere with law enforcement, DHS officials say the tracking has fueled direct confrontations.
As protests continued into the evening, alerts warned of multiple ICE vehicles moving through the city, signaling that the rapid-response network remained fully active.
Federal officials say the coordinated interference has turned targeted immigration enforcement into flashpoints, raising serious concerns about public safety and the organized effort to obstruct law enforcement operations nationwide.
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