DHS, Minnesota DOC dispute criminal history of suspect sought ahead of deadly shooting

WASHINGTON (TNND) — The illegal immigrant who federal agents were searching for during the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has a violent criminal history and remains at large, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS identified the suspect as Jose Huerta-Chuma.

“On January 24, in Minneapolis Border Patrol were obstructed by agitators as they tried to arrest Jose Huerta-Chuma, whose criminal history includes domestic assault to intentionally inflict bodily harm, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license,” DHS said in an X post on Monday.

“This criminal illegal alien remains at-large,” the agency noted in the post. “We are calling on the public to report any sighting of this violent criminal illegal alien to 866-DHS-2-ICE.”

DHS previously said Pretti, 37, was fatally shot on Saturday after he approached U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents while carrying a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and two magazines. Officials did not say whether the weapon was brandished.

Border Patrol commander at large Gregory Bovino later said Pretti and other protestors hindered agents as they tried to arrest Huerta-Chuma at a Minneapolis donut shop.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) criticized DHS and Bovino, as the DOC said the statements about Huerta-Chuma are “inaccurate and misleading.”

“This is no longer a simple misunderstanding,” Paul Schnell, who is the commissioner of the Minnesota DOC, said a news conference. “At best, DHS fundamentally misunderstands Minnesota’s Correctional system. At a minimum, this reflects systemic data management inadequacies — or incompetence — as it relates to DHS tracking of detainers in custody.

In a news release, the Minnesota DOC said Huerta-Chuma has never been in Minnesota DOC custody, adding that the DOC and court records show “no felony commitments associated with him.”

“Public Minnesota court records reflect only misdemeanor-level traffic offenses from from than a decade ago,” according to the release. ” The individual is not currently under DOC supervision.”

The release also noted that Huerta-Chuma was previously held in federal immigration custody in a local Minnesota jail in 2018.

“Any decisions regarding release from federal custody at that time would have been made by federal authorities. DOC has no information explaining why this individual was released,” the statement noted.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said a “big investigation” was underway into Pretti’s death.

“I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it, and I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself,” he said as he left the White House on Tuesday.

The comment comes as Trump’s administration faces growing pushback — including from some Republicans and Second Amendment advocates — on federal agents’ tactics amid the immigration operation in Minnesota.

____________

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.