Internal review contradicts Trump administration on Alex Pretti shooting

Summary

The NPR Politics Podcast — January 28, 2026

Episode Title: Internal review contradicts Trump administration on Alex Pretti shooting
Hosts: Tamara Keith, Ximena Bustillo, Domenico Montanaro

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Episode Overview

In this episode, NPR’s political team discusses the fallout from the recent fatal shooting of Alex Preddy by immigration agents in Minneapolis. The conversation focuses on an internal review from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that contradicts the Trump administration’s public statements about the incident. The episode also examines the broader political and policy implications, including reactions within the administration, congressional oversight efforts, and the evolving landscape of both illegal and legal immigration under the Trump administration.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Contradictions Between Internal Review and Administration Narrative

Timestamps: 00:32–05:36

• Immediately following Alex Preddy’s shooting, senior government officials, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, labeled Preddy a domestic terrorist intending to kill law enforcement.
• CBP’s internal review, required because Preddy was categorized as a "death in custody," tells a different story that aligns with social media video and court testimony.
  • Agents first encountered two women using warning whistles—commonly used by neighborhood observers—forcing them to move from the street.
  • Only afterward did agents notice Alex Preddy, which led to a rapidly escalating struggle.
  • During the struggle, agents shouted about a possible gun, and mere seconds later shots were fired. Preddy did have a gun permit.
• The review makes no mention of Preddy "brandishing" a weapon or having malicious intent from the outset, undermining administration claims.

Notable Quote:

“There is no brandishing mentioned in that review.”
— Tamara Keith (03:35)

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2. DHS Response vs. Review Findings

Timestamps: 02:29–04:52

• DHS Secretary Kristi Noem doubled down on the initial terrorism narrative at a FEMA press conference.
  • Noem insisted Preddy attacked officers with a gun and "dozens of rounds of ammunition."
  • When pressed, she repeated that Preddy "impeded law enforcement officers and attacked them."
  • The CBP review contradicts these assertions.
• The hosts note that the review’s findings, based on agent body camera footage, suggest much less premeditation and intent by Preddy than the administration claimed.

Notable Quote:

“When you perpetuate violence against a government because of ideological reasons that is the definition of domestic terrorism… That’s the facts.”
— Kristi Noem (04:31)
Host Response:
"Domestic terrorism. That is not the facts as ultimately described by her own department."
— Tamara Keith (04:52)

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3. Political Fallout and Oversight Pressure

Timestamps: 05:36–09:54

• The disconnect between the DHS narrative and internal review is damaging the administration’s credibility—moderate Republicans and Democrats alike are critical of DHS Secretary Noem.
  • Calls for Noem’s resignation from GOP Senator Thom Tillis and loss of support from Senator Lisa Murkowski.
• Congressional oversight—absent much of the previous year—is ramping up with both Republican-led and Democratic requests for hearings with immigration officials and Noem.
  • Republican chairs now leading the charge give these hearings new weight.

Notable Quote:

“It has a lot of consequences for the administration’s credibility… [some moderate Republicans] said she should be out of a job.”
— Domenico Montanaro (05:46)

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4. Messaging vs. Policy Shift in the Trump Administration

Timestamps: 08:05–11:10

• Domenico highlights Trump’s media appearances in Iowa, noting Trump distanced himself from embattled officials like Greg Bovino but did not address Minnesota events or enforcement details.
• Tom Homan, Trump’s chosen border czar, is being repositioned in Minneapolis to shift perceptions.
• Despite these moves, Ximena underscores there has been no actual policy shift—mass deportation efforts, increased enforcement in Minneapolis, and rollbacks for legal protections continue nationwide.

Notable Quote:

“There is no reason to believe that this is a policy shift... There is still going to be a mass deportation agenda that has not changed on the ground.”
— Ximena Bustillo (09:54)

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5. Tighter Restrictions on Legal Immigration

Timestamps: 12:29–15:59

• The Trump administration is not just targeting illegal immigration but is also curtailing legal immigration routes.
• Ximena attended several naturalization ceremonies; new citizens cite relief and a desire for civic participation, but also anxiety about growing barriers and the possibility of "denaturalization."
  • Increased scrutiny, delayed approvals, tougher tests, and cancelled ceremonies are becoming more common.

Notable Quotes:

“I’ve always felt like I belonged here, but there was something missing. And I feel like this was the key that was missing and it’s finally here.”
— Ashley Lazama Moreno (13:40, paraphrased)
“For a lot of people, it’s a huge relief because they feel like all that work and effort and sacrifice... has paid off. And I don’t think a lot of people ever really thought about citizenship potentially being stripped from people.”
— Domenico Montanaro (15:18)

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6. Rise of Denaturalization and Rhetoric on Citizenship

Timestamps: 16:03–17:49

• "Denaturalization"—stripping naturalized citizens of their citizenship—is being discussed at higher administrative levels, though it’s still rare and legally difficult.
• Policies include pausing asylum processing, cancelling temporary protected status, and additional screening for legal immigrants.
• Domenico argues Trump intends to "redefine who is American," moving away from the "melting pot" ideal.

Notable Quote:

“Trump is really trying to set out and say, no, no, no, this is what America is. And if you’re not willing to assimilate ... then he doesn’t want you here.”
— Domenico Montanaro (17:05)

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7. Threats and Violence—The Political Climate

Timestamps: 17:49–20:08

• Trump’s harsh immigration rhetoric continues, with increased attacks on public figures such as Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
• Omar was recently assaulted at a town hall event in Minneapolis.
• The team discusses how toxic political language might incite or embolden fringe actors.

Notable Quote:

“Experts warn [this rhetoric] could push people who are at the fringes to do kind of extreme things, like we saw yesterday.”
— Domenico Montanaro (18:37)

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8. Newly Naturalized Citizens React

Timestamps: 19:40–20:08

• New citizens express both relief at achieving citizenship and eagerness to participate in U.S. democracy, especially by voting.

Notable Quote:

“I think the words, safety and civic engagement came out a lot... excited to finally be able to cast that ballot ahead of the midterms.”
— Ximena Bustillo (19:40)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (Chronological Order)

• “There is no brandishing mentioned in that review.”
  — Tamara Keith (03:35)
• “Domestic terrorism. That is not the facts as ultimately described by her own department.”
  — Tamara Keith (04:52)
• “It has a lot of consequences for the administration’s credibility…”
  — Domenico Montanaro (05:46)
• “There is no reason to believe that this is a policy shift... There is still going to be a mass deportation agenda that has not changed on the ground.”
  — Ximena Bustillo (09:54)
• “For a lot of people, it’s a huge relief… [but] I don’t think a lot of people ever really thought about citizenship potentially being stripped from people.”
  — Domenico Montanaro (15:18)
• “Trump is really trying to set out and say, no, no, no, this is what America is.”
  — Domenico Montanaro (17:05)
• “Experts warn [this rhetoric] could push people who are at the fringes to do kind of extreme things, like we saw yesterday.”
  — Domenico Montanaro (18:37)

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Structure — Important Segments with Approximate Timestamps

• Introduction, setting the stage: 00:19–01:11
• CBP’s internal review vs. DHS narrative: 01:11–05:36
• Political blowback & need for oversight: 05:36–08:05
• Messaging vs. policy realities: 08:05–11:10
• Broader move against legal immigration: 12:29–15:59
• Denaturalization & redefinition of who’s American: 16:03–17:49
• Political violence and civic engagement: 17:49–20:08

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Takeaways for Listeners

• The administration’s quick labeling of the Minneapolis shooting as "domestic terrorism" is contradicted by its own internal review, raising serious credibility issues.
• The Trump administration’s rhetoric on immigration, from enforcement tactics to naturalization, is under sharper scrutiny by Congress and is prompting both internal and external political backlash.
• New efforts to restrict legal immigration and threats of "denaturalization" illustrate a narrowing definition of who is welcome as American.
• Rhetoric has real-world consequences, adding tension to an already volatile political climate and potentially making the U.S. feel less secure—even to newly naturalized citizens.

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Hosts:

• Tamara Keith (White House reporter)
• Ximena Bustillo (Immigration policy reporter)
• Domenico Montanaro (Senior political editor and correspondent)

For more insights and the latest developments, listen to The NPR Politics Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

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[Tamara Keith]

Hey there. It's the NPR Politics podcast for Wednesday, January 28, 2026. I'm Tamara Keith. I cover the White House.

[Ximena Bustillo]

I'm Ximena Bustillo and I cover immigration policy.

[Domenico Montanaro]

And I'm Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent.

[Tamara Keith]

And we are recording this at 11:52am immediately after Alex Preddy was shot and killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis, top government officials labeled him a domestic terrorist on a mission to kill law enforcement. That was immediately contradicted by bystander video and court testimony. Now, Customs and Border Protection has done its own initial internal review, and its description matches the videos seen across social media, but bears little resemblance to what had been the official line. Ximena, you got your hands on this review. Tell us more about it and what it said happened.

[Ximena Bustillo]

So this was a review that had to be delivered to congressional committees because DHS labeled Preddy's death a death in custody. And so that's why we got this review so quickly. You know, essentially it was conducted by DHS's Employee Conduct Review teams. And what it says is that Border Patrol officers were actually at first confronted by two women who were blowing their whistles like we've seen other observers do. You know, the whistles are assigned to other people in the neighborhoods that immigration officers and agents are there. And essentially officers ordered the two women to move out of the roadway. We see this matchup with videos of some of the agents approaching the women and kind of shoving them out of the roadway and into the sidewalk. That is then when the officers encountered Alex Preddy, who is the 37 year old US citizen that was killed.

[Tamara Keith]

And we are lucky to have you here today on this pod because on Saturday you were there when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a briefing and addressed the shooting. Just how different is what's in this review from what you heard from the Homeland Security secretary over the weekend?

[Ximena Bustillo]

Right. So Noem quickly organized a press conference at the FEMA headquarters, but most of the time was spent talking about this shooting. Here's what she told us.

[Kristi Noem]

This individual went and impeded their law enforcement operations, attacked those officers, had a weapon on him and multiple dozens of rounds of ammunition, wishing to inflict harm on these officers, coming brandishing like that and impeding their work that they were doing.

[Ximena Bustillo]

Now, both Noem and The CBP report say that officers were out initially doing specific arrest. Now, I asked Noem, if that's what they were doing, if they had this target, then why did they deviate their attention off target to the civilians? And here's what she told me.

[Kristi Noem]

This individual impeded the law enforcement officers and attacked them. State the facts as they unfolded on the street today. We were doing a targeted operation against an illegal criminal, and this individual came with a weapon and dozens of rounds of ammunition and. And attacked them.

[Ximena Bustillo]

Now, this was contradicted in the agency's own initial review.

[Tamara Keith]

Right. There is no brandishing mentioned in that review.

[Ximena Bustillo]

Right. And remember that the report also says that the officers were originally dealing with these two other women. And it's not until after they shove those women out of the way that they even notice Preddy. And then that quickly escalates. Then there's a struggle to detain Preddy. During that struggle, agents shout that Preddy has. And then approximately five seconds later, the first agent discharges his gun. Another agent also fires shots. So this report seems to say that agents didn't even know he had a gun, nor his intent when they first came across him. And as we've later learned, Preddy had a permit to carry that gun.

[Tamara Keith]

Yeah, it strikes me that the administration really went with their usual playbook of doubling down. Here's Noem again, at that same press conference that you were at.

[Kristi Noem]

When you perpetuate violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and perpetuate violence, that is the definition of domestic terrorism. This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers, committed an act of domestic terrorism. That's the facts.

[Tamara Keith]

Domestic terrorism. That is not the facts as ultimately described by her own department. And. And I guess we should say this was an initial internal review by the agency responsible for the shooting. This is not an independent investigation at this point.

[Ximena Bustillo]

Right. And. And, you know, they do say in the report more information could come out. There could be more details that sort of changes. This review was based on body camera footage of agents who were on the scene when this happened, likely some initial interviews with some of those agents as well. And so we could see additional come to light. But to start, this contradicts what that narrative had initially, very quickly been.

[Tamara Keith]

Domenico, I have to ask, when there is such a dramatic disconnect like this, what does that do to the credibility of the administration going forward?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah, I think it has a lot of consequences for the administration's credibility and whether people believe them or the people at the helm in this administration going forward. You know, Kristi Noem is head of Department of Homeland Security and been a face of a lot of this. You know, she's really getting a lot of criticism from moderate Republicans now saying that she's not up to the job. I mean, you had Thom Tillis, a senator from North Carolina who albeit is retiring and that seems to give people more guts to speak out. And he had said that she should be out of a job. Lisa Murkowski, Republican senator from Alaska, said she wouldn't support her again. And you know, of course you're having a moderate Democrats saying similar things. So we've seen some consequences here for some of the folks in this administration. But ultimately it starts with the president and the tone that he has set out for how he wants these deportations to take place. And right now they're feeling the political backlash.

[Tamara Keith]

Ximena, more political backlash. I guess some oversight might actually start happening from Congress, which is something that has largely been absent this past year.

[Ximena Bustillo]

Right. This week we very quickly saw a slew of congressional oversight hearings suddenly get put on the calendar. So we're going to see the heads of Border Protection as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and uscis, the Citizenship and Immigration Service that handles legal migration processes, be brought for oversight hearings in the House and Senate back to back in about two weeks. And then Noem herself was called into Senate Judiciary. And granted that hearing won't be for another five. But it is notable that there is a push for oversight coming from Republicans. Republicans lead these committees right now. Democrats have said that they've been requesting these leaders to come before them. They have no reason to do that for a Democrat request. But they do if it's the chair of an oversight committee that is a Republican that has the power. And so this increased pressure and probably some of the threats of a potential government shutdown at the end of the week is really showing Republicans further their split on immigration and use their congressional.

[Tamara Keith]

Oversight power and domenico. Perhaps not a coincidence then that we have seen something of a tonal shift from President Trump this week. He was in Iowa yesterday talking about the economy, but he also did an interview with Fox News while he was there and this came up. What stood out to you?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah, I thought it was notable that on this trip to Iowa, he spoke to Will Kane on Fox News and he had some pretty tough words for Greg Bovino, who had been the face of immigration enforcement. He called him a pretty out there kind of guy, you know, which I think Tells you a little something about how Trump saw how he was being perceived Bovino, and that that has been hurting him politically. Trump, you know, of course he wants to pivot back to the protesters and say that they're quote, unquote, paid insurrectionists, paid agitators. There's that. He wants to try to make that argument. But right now, they're behind the eight ball when it comes to the messaging on immigration. There's far less of a discussion about the border and people and fewer, if no people crossing the border illegally and more about these deportation tactics. And I thought that was interesting from his speech yesterday in Iowa, that there was nothing on Minnesota. He didn't talk anything about ICE enforcement actions. Lots. On immigration, though. Trump still wants to be able to shoehorn immigration as his best issue.

[Tamara Keith]

It just isn't his best issue right now.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Right now. Yeah.

[Tamara Keith]

So I do wanna ask both of you, we know that Greg Bovino has been moved out of Minneapolis. We know that Tom Homan, President Trump's borders are, is going in, in theory, to, to calm the waters somewhat, according to the president. But do we know if this is a messaging shift or a policy shift?

[Ximena Bustillo]

There is no reason to believe that this is a policy shift. You know, everyone still has, you know, their commanding jobs for now. Secretary Noem is still Secretary of Homeland Security. Stephen Miller, who is the deputy chief of staff and is been known to be the one orchestrating and leading a lot of the policy here, is still Deputy Chief of Staff Tom Homan, White House Border czar. He's now on the ground in Minneapolis as well, clearly leading some of the charge here. There is still going to be a mass deportation agenda that has not changed on the ground. Court records show that there are 3,000 immigration officers in Minneapolis. So any sort of scale back won't take much. Right. Remove 1000, remove 2000. You still have increased enforcement. That's notwithstanding what's happening in the rest of America with increased enforcements in states like Maine, you know, we're seeing the cutback of more temporary protected statuses, and folks are getting detained. Refugees in Minneapolis and across the country are getting reviewed and sent to Immigration Customs Enforcement for a pipeline to deportation. So the policy stays the same.

[Tamara Keith]

All right, we're going to take a quick break and we'll have more in a moment.

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[Domenico Montanaro]

This week on Up first, more violence in Minneapolis. Democrats say they will block a spending bill in the Senate after another deadly ICE shooting. How will Republicans respond? And could the Trump administration rethink its strategy on immigration? We'll keep you posted every morning with three stories you need to know to start your day up. First, listen on the NPR app or wherever you get podcasts.

[Tamara Keith]

And we're back. In addition to efforts to curb illegal immigration, the Trump administration has also been making it harder to legally immigrate to the United States. Ximena, you spent some time going to naturalization ceremonies where immigrants officially become United States citizens. What have you heard from the people hitting this milestone?

[Ximena Bustillo]

You know, I met such a range of different people so excited to finally become US Citizens. Some had barely started the process last year, so it took them a few months to get through it. Others had been in the country for a really long time, and they all had different reasons for doing it. So one person I spoke to was Ashley Lazama Moreno. She's from Honduras, but has lived in the United States since she was in 18 months old. And she told me she actually just turned 30 this month, two days before her naturalization ceremony. I just feel, I feel happy, you know, I feel at peace. I feel like I, I've always felt like I belonged here, but there was something missing. And I feel like this was the key that was missing and it's finally here. And that sense of, you know, feeling at peace and security came up a lot when I was talking to folks. Another person was David DeMart. He's from Canada and has been in the US since 2001. Well, first of all, I had been here for a long time on a green card, and I figured it was time I wanted to be able to vote in federal elections. And I got a little bit concerned about the current situation for people who had were not citizens yet And I.

[Tamara Keith]

Suppose that's not an unreasonable concern given what we've been seeing.

[Ximena Bustillo]

Right. And, you know, what we have seen out of the last year of the Trump administration is just a tightening more on the citizenship process. So, you know, tougher citizenship tests. You know, there's ongoing discussion about whether or not the use of public benefits should be taken into consideration when approving citizenship. About 39 countries currently have their citizenship applications stalled. And so while we don't have data from 2025 yet to see whether naturalizations went up or down, there is a broader assumption that this year they might down just because of these broader limitations. Anecdotally, I am already hearing of naturalization ceremonies in the D.C. area, as well as across the country already getting canceled. And when I asked the Department of Homeland Security about this, they said that they were going to take their time reviewing applications. Essentially, they were going to be a little bit slower. They are going to review a lot closer, bringing that idea of additional scrutiny into the process.

[Domenico Montanaro]

You know, it's. It's interesting because getting U.S. citizenship is really hard. It takes a long time. It's. And it. And I think for a lot of people, they figured once they get citizenship, then they're American and that there's no going back, there's no turning back. And for a lot of people, it's a huge relief because they feel like all that work and effort and sacrifice that they've made for themselves or their families has paid off. And I don't think a lot of people ever really thought about citizenship potentially being stripped from people. And it seems that the Trump administration is certainly pushing to find ways to denaturalize people that they don't want here.

[Tamara Keith]

Yeah, President Trump has certainly been touting the idea of denaturalization.

[Ximena Bustillo]

Yeah, it's definitely been discussed. And, you know, this is in the vein of, you know, this administration is not just going after illegal immigration, it is going after legal pathways to migrate to the country as well. And so denaturalization is one avenue. They have to do that. And to be clear, you know, denaturalization is very difficult to do. It is, you know, something that has a very high bar for the administration to prove. But we are still seeing the administration take other steps to limit legal migration. You know, again, putting a lot more limits on the refugee program. They are pausing asylum. They are canceling temporary protected status, leaving people without work permits and the legal ability to be in the United States. And so that really does bring into question, like, who does the administration want to bring in what is it saying about what it means to be an American? We've noticed and had this conversation into last year, but we're really gonna see it this year.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, I think that the Trump administration is trying to redefine who is American, what that means to be American. You know, this idea going back to, really, the 2015, 2016 Republican presidential campaign, we heard, you know, a real takedown of the idea that the country is a melting pot. You know, this idea that people come from all over. It's a country of immigrants. It's a patchwork quilt. You know, all of those metaphors that had been used to sort of tout what America means. Trump is really trying to set out and say, no, no, no, this is what America is. And if you're not willing to assimilate to his previously held belief and idea as to what American means, then he doesn't want you here.

[Tamara Keith]

Harsh rhetoric towards immigrants has been a, you know, a key part of President Trump's messaging going back a very long time. One person who recently has been getting a lot of his ire is Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. He mentioned her just yesterday in his speech in Iowa. Then last night, she faced an attack. Somebody came up to her at a town hall meeting while she was speaking and sprayed her from a syringe with. With a substance that smelled very bad in the room. It was this alarming moment. The person was tackled, and he was arrested on possible assault charges. Domenico, I just. I wonder if you could speak to the political environment that is this stew that is brewing here.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, we've talked for a long time about what can spur people who might be on the edges to do things that are pretty extreme. And, you know, I mean, both sides are sort of pointing the finger at each other with who has the most violent extreme rhetoric. But clearly, Trump's rhetoric has been something, you know, to say that immigrants are. Who are here, are causing problems. People who've come from other countries that he doesn't like are problematic people. And, you know, that's the kind of thing that experts warn could push people who are at the fringes to do kind of extreme things, like we saw yesterday.

[Tamara Keith]

And we should say that we are still learning about the suspect. We don't have a lot of details about precisely what was going on there at that town hall meeting, but this is just this toxic political environment. Jimena, I wonder, as you were speaking with people who are taking this hopeful step of becoming United States citizens, what they make of this time in the country.

[Ximena Bustillo]

You know, I think the words, safety and civic engagement came out a lot, finally felt a level of safety and protection. And then at the same time, a lot of people talked about being excited to vote in federal elections and, you know, finally being able to cast that ballot because, you know, if you're not a citizen, you cannot vote. And, you know, they know that. And so they're excited to finally be able to do that ahead of the midterms this year.

[Tamara Keith]

All right. Let's leave it there for today. I'm Tamara Keith. I cover the White House.

[Ximena Bustillo]

I'm Heiment, I'm an Bustin. I cover immigration policy.

[Domenico Montanaro]

And I'm Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent.

[Tamara Keith]

And thank you for listening to the NPR Politics podcast. This is Tonya Moseley, co host of Fresh air. You'll see your favorite actors, directors and comedians on late night TV shows or YouTube. But what you get with FRESH AIR is a deep dive. Spend some quality time with people like Billie Eilish Questlove, Ariana Grande, Stephen Colbert and so many more. We ask questions you won't hear asked anywhere else. Listen to the FRESH AIR podcast from NPR and WHYY. On NPR's Wildcard podcast, author Jeanette McCurdy says she understands one emotion best.

[Ximena Bustillo]

I'm trying to look like literally name any other emotion and anger is the only one coming up.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Love it.

[Ximena Bustillo]

It's just anger, baby.

[Tamara Keith]

Watch. Or listen to that wild card conversation on the NPR app or on YouTube at NPR.

[Ximena Bustillo]

Wildcat.