Vance says ‘engineered chaos’ driving unrest in Minneapolis

The US vice president has blamed activists and local officials as demonstrations follow a second federal shooting this month

US Vice President J.D. Vance has said protests and unrest in Minneapolis were the result of what he described as “engineered chaos.” 

The city has seen days of demonstrations after a controversial federal immigration enforcement push in Minnesota; the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deployed thousands of agents in its largest interior operation to date, aimed at arresting undocumented immigrants. Tensions have further escalated following two fatal shootings involving federal agents in January.

The latest incident happened on Saturday, when US Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis resident and intensive care nurse.

“This level of engineered chaos is unique to Minneapolis,” Vance wrote on X on Sunday, accusing what he called far-left agitators of working with local authorities to inflame unrest following the shooting.

Pretti’s death, the second fatal shooting involving federal agents in the city this month, follows the January 7 killing of Renee Good during an earlier enforcement operation and has sparked protests and widespread criticism.

The DHS said Pretti approached officers with a handgun and resisted attempts to disarm him, prompting an agent to fire in self-defense. However, video footage circulated online appears to show Pretti holding a phone immediately before he was tackled and shot. This has been corroborated by eyewitness accounts cited by multiple media outlets.

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Local officials, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have condemned the shooting and criticized the expanded federal presence in the city, with both calling for agents to withdraw.

Demonstrators have clashed with law enforcement and demanded independent investigations into the use of deadly force. Responses from political leaders have been sharply divided.

Several national Democratic figures have criticized federal enforcement tactics and questioned the use of lethal force, while Republican officials, including Vance and US President Donald Trump, have defended the agents and attributed the unrest to local governance failures and political agitation.