DHS response to Minneapolis shooting sparks internal backlash: sources

Deep internal divisions have emerged within federal immigration enforcement over how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is handling public fallout and messaging after the deadly Border Patrol shooting in Minneapolis, Fox News has learned.

More than a half-dozen federal law enforcement officials involved in immigration enforcement told Fox News there was growing frustration with how senior officials framed the incident publicly, sparking internal debates about tone, strategy and credibility as scrutiny intensified.

The shooting occurred during an immigration enforcement operation Saturday morning, when a Border Patrol agent shot Alex Pretty, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident and Veterans Affairs ICU nurse. Authorities say Preeti was armed with a handgun and two magazines.

In the hours and days that followed, DHS officials publicly described Pretty as a domestic terrorist and said he was trying to “inflict maximum harm” on federal agents or carry out a “massacre,” language that sparked internal criticism from within the department, Fox News was told.

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Officials say several videos that subsequently emerged raised questions about DHS’s narrative, sparking frustration among agents who believe senior officials moved too quickly to characterize the incident before all the facts were known.

Officials say the internal disputes have hurt public relations and morale, eroding trust and credibility and intensifying broader discussions within the administration about how DHS leadership handles high-profile, politically charged incidents.

Officials who spoke with Fox News said they support the mass deportation agenda, though they have serious hesitations about the messaging and how to implement the agenda.

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Federal agents fire tear gas at protesters on January 24, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Some also expressed frustration that the actions of the Border Patrol are routinely blamed on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a separate agency.

Some officials described DHS’s response to the shooting as a “case study in how not to make a public relations crisis,” with one saying they were so “fed up” they wished they could retire, another saying “DHS is making the situation worse,” and another adding that “DHS is wrong” and “We’re losing this war, and we’re losing the base and the narrative.”

Fox News has reached out to DHS for comment on concerns that her rhetoric and communications may have damaged the agency’s credibility.

A shooting involving the Border Patrol was reported in Minneapolis

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem participates in a roundtable discussion with local ranchers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Brownsville, Texas, on January 7. (Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images)

“We have witnessed a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to Fox News. He added: “This individual committed a federal crime while armed while obstructing an active law enforcement operation. As with any developing situation, we are working to provide prompt and accurate information to the American people as more information becomes available.”

Those internal frictions have now escalated, officials say, with widespread criticism that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s aggressive tactics are eroding public support for the mass deportation agenda and putting federal agents at risk.

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Fox News previously reported in October that deep internal friction had emerged within the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, with rival camps within the Department of Homeland Security divided over enforcement priorities, tactics and how forcefully to carry out deportations.