• Attorney General Pam Bondi sent letter to Governor Tim Walz outlining three specific demands to address what she calls "chaos" in Minnesota
• Letter requests access to voter registration records, Medicaid and food assistance data, and repeal of sanctuary policies limiting ICE cooperation
• Demands follow second fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis within two weeks

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (TDR) — Attorney General Pam Bondi delivered a three-page letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Saturday outlining specific conditions for the state to "restore the rule of law" following a second fatal shooting involving federal immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis.

The letter, sent hours after Border Patrol agents fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti during an immigration enforcement operation, demands Minnesota surrender voter registration records to the Department of Justice, provide complete access to state welfare program data, and dismantle sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"You and your office must restore the rule of law, support ICE officers, and bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota. Fortunately, there are common sense solutions to these problems that I hope we can accomplish together."

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Three Core Demands Outlined

The Attorney General's letter to Governor Walz presents three specific requirements, framing them as necessary steps to address what federal officials characterize as escalating violence and disorder in the state.

First, Bondi requested Minnesota share "all records from Minnesota's Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Program data with the federal government." The demand references ongoing federal investigations into alleged welfare fraud, particularly the Feeding Our Future scandal where 78 individuals, mostly Somali immigrants, were charged with stealing approximately $250 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I am confident that these simple steps will help bring back law and order to Minnesota and improve the lives of Americans."

Second, the letter demands Minnesota "repeal the sanctuary policies that have contributed to rising crime and violence in your state." Bondi called for all detention facilities in Minnesota to fully cooperate with ICE, respect immigration detainers, and allow federal immigration officers to interview detainees regarding their immigration status.

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Third, Bondi requested the DOJ Civil Rights Division receive access to state voter rolls to "confirm that Minnesota's voter registration practices comply with federal law." The demand did not specify which alleged violations prompted the request.

Context Of Fatal Shootings

The letter arrived the same day Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse who worked with veterans at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed Pretti was a legal gun owner with a valid permit to carry and had no criminal record beyond traffic violations.

"He was no longer a student nor employed by the University at the time of his passing."

The Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti "approached" Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and "violently resisted" attempts to disarm him, though officials did not specify whether Pretti brandished the weapon. Analysis by The New York Times found that at least 10 shots were fired within five seconds. Available video footage does not show him holding a gun when the shooting occurred.

Saturday's incident marked the third confrontation involving federal immigration agents since the launch of Operation Metro Surge, the deployment of approximately 3,000 federal immigration agents to the Twin Cities beginning in December 2025. Two of the three shootings have been fatal.

The first fatal shooting occurred on January 8, when ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, as she attempted to drive away from a protest scene. Six federal prosecutors announced they would resign rather than investigate Good's widow as the Trump administration demanded, prompting Bondi to fire them before they could submit formal resignations.

"What happened in Minnesota? We had six prosecutors who suddenly decided they didn't want to support the men and women of ICE!"

State Response And Federal Escalation

Governor Walz responded to Saturday's shooting by activating the National Guard and demanding federal agents leave Minnesota. At an afternoon news conference, Walz announced he would bill the federal government for National Guard deployment costs.

"Donald Trump, I call on you once again: Remove this force from Minnesota. They are sowing chaos and violence. We've seen deadly violence from federal agents again, and again and again."

The Governor's office provided a statement characterizing the federal presence as an "occupation" that has "brought chaos and destruction" to the state. The statement noted that 3,000 federal agents "have fatally shot two people and wounded another; detained children as young as two years old; racially profiled off-duty officers; broken into the home of an elderly U.S. citizen."

"We repeat our request to the administration to engage in a serious conversation about ending this federal occupation."

Bondi's letter notably does not explicitly state that meeting the three demands would result in ICE operations leaving Minnesota or reducing the federal law enforcement presence. The letter frames the conditions as steps to "restore the rule of law" rather than as terms for withdrawal.

Vice President JD Vance and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also criticized Minnesota leadership, claiming state and local officials refused to cooperate with federal authorities.

"When I visited Minnesota, what the ICE agents wanted more than anything was to work with local law enforcement so that situations on the ground didn't get out of hand. The local leadership in Minnesota has so far refused to answer those requests."

Noem blamed Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for ongoing clashes between residents and federal officers, stating they "choose violence" and "encourage the destruction of their city."

Additional Federal Actions

Beyond the formal letter to Governor Walz, federal authorities took multiple enforcement actions following Saturday's shooting. Attorney General Bondi announced the arrest of a protester accused of biting off a Homeland Security Investigations officer's finger during post-shooting demonstrations, directing federal prosecutors to file charges.

The Department of Justice also opened a civil rights investigation into protesters who interrupted services at Cities Church in St. Paul, where a local ICE field office director serves as pastor. Three arrests were made, including civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, former president of the NAACP's Minneapolis branch.

"Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP."

The Justice Department investigated the church protest swiftly but found no basis for a civil rights investigation into Good's death, despite her family's requests. Administration officials maintain the officer acted in self-defense and characterize Good as engaging in "an act of domestic terrorism."

Congressional And Public Response

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social urging Minnesota officials to allow ICE agents to operate freely, warning the state would face "something far worse than you are witnessing today" if undocumented immigrants are not removed.

"Let our ICE patriots do their job! 12,000 illegal alien criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota."

Congressional reactions divided along partisan lines. U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called for deploying the National Guard to protect civilians from what she termed "violent fascists," referring to ICE agents.

"These violent fascists need to be removed from our neighborhoods immediately. State leaders must deploy the National Guard and use every tool at their disposal to protect civilians from these murderers."

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen stated that "the real 'domestic terrorists' are in the White House," noting that Pretti was "reportedly a law-abiding US citizen & an ICU nurse at the VA."

Bondi appeared on Fox News following the letter's delivery, defending federal immigration enforcement operations and characterizing resistance to ICE activities as part of a broader "Resistance" movement.

"We are going to protect our great men and women in law enforcement who were out there doing their jobs today. They were out there arresting a violent offender. We will support the good citizens of Minnesota if the Governor and that Mayor aren't going to do it."

Will Minnesota comply with federal demands for voter rolls and welfare data in exchange for addressing what officials call "chaos," or does this represent federal overreach into state sovereignty?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from NBC News's live coverage of the Minneapolis shooting, reporting by Fox News, FOX 9 Minneapolis, The Hill, TRT World, KSTP, NPR, analysis from SJO Daily, coverage by The Daily Beast on prosecutor resignations, and reporting by Democracy Docket on voter roll demands.

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