The two federal immigration agents who shot and killed Alex Pretti, a nurse protesting in Minneapolis (Minnesota) against their presence there, have been identified this Sunday by ProPublica, an independent investigative media outlet. According to government records they accessed, they are Jesús Ochoa, a Border Patrol agent, and Raymundo Gutiérrez, who works for the Customs and Border Protection Agency, ICE.
Documents reviewed by ProPublica point to Ochoa, 43, and Gutiérrez, 35, as the ones who opened fire during the scuffle that took place on January 24, the second deadly incident in the city in January. Authorities have not confirmed the information.
In the US, it is common for the names of police officers or federal agents involved in shootings to be quickly known. It does not always happen, but almost. However, the Border Patrol had refused to provide any information. Paul Pérez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing immigration agents, stated in the days following the scandal that has shaken the country that the agent who fired first had around eight years of experience in his duties, "extensive training in the use of force and firearms, as well as crowd control in a border context." And he insisted that "it was not a rookie agent who was there, but an experienced agent." But nothing more.
Pérez was responding to recent criticisms. ICE has doubled its personnel in less than a year, from 10,000 to 22,000, while its budget has increased eightfold, thanks to Trump's budget law, which has made the agenda the largest and best-funded in the country. To meet the demand for personnel, who are being used across the country, the Department of Homeland Security has lowered hiring standards and reduced training time to a minimum. Previously, basic initial training was at least 16 weeks and has been reduced to about six or six and a half weeks, around 47 days.
The agents' names point to their Latino origin. It is not surprising. Just days before Pritt's death, President Donald Trump openly praised the aforementioned Paul Pérez and specifically stated that "the work that Paul Pérez and his group at ICE and the Border Patrol do is incredible. By the way, most of them are Hispanic, 60% of them are Hispanic."
According to data obtained by ProPublica, "Ochoa is a Border Patrol agent who joined CBP in 2018. Gutiérrez joined in 2014 and works for CBP's Office of Field Operations. He is assigned to a special response team, which carries out high-risk operations like police SWAT units. Records indicate that both men are from South Texas."
"Ochoa, known as Jesse, graduated from the University of Texas-Pan American with a degree in criminal justice, according to his ex-wife, Angélica Ochoa. A longtime resident of the Rio Grande Valley, Ochoa had dreamed for years of working for the Border Patrol and finally landed a job there, she said. By the time the couple separated in 2021, he had become a gun enthusiast, with about 25 rifles, pistols, and shotguns, Angélica Ochoa said," the outlet explains.
In the hours following the shooting, the on-site head of both agencies, Gregory Bovino, indicated that both had left the state and would be handling other matters. He suggested that they would likely be assigned to administrative duties or on leave while an investigation was conducted, which is usually automatic. But he was ambiguous. Bovino was replaced a few days ago by President Trump, and since then both agencies, the Border Patrol and ICE, have confirmed that they are indeed temporarily suspended while the incident is reviewed. The Department of Justice has ruled out opening a criminal case, but there are at least three parallel investigations open, according to the Executive, including one by the Civil Rights Division.
At this point, it is still unknown what version the agents have provided, or if they have body cameras on, a requirement by lawmakers. In the response sent to Congress, Homeland Security says the shooting occurred when Pretti resisted arrest, after the agents failed to remove him and a protester from the street. The Border Patrol agent "tried to remove the woman and Pretti from the roadway. Neither the woman nor Pretti moved," the report says. "CBP personnel tried to detain Pretti. Pretti resisted CBP personnel's efforts, and a scuffle ensued." According to the document, an agent shouted "He's got a gun!" several times, and two others fired their Glock pistols.