Here’s Where Alex Pretti’s Phone Ended Up After He Was Killed

Following the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents over the weekend, the cell phone Pretti was holding moments before his death has disappeared into federal custody.

The New York Times reports that the FBI initially collected evidence from the shooting, including Pretti’s handgun and phone, but has turned over that evidence to Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, which is now handling the investigation into Pretti’s death.

Pretti’s family told the Associated Press Monday that they have no idea where the phone is, and his father, Michael Pretti, said they have yet to be contacted by federal law enforcement. But perhaps most troubling, officials told CBS News that there was no documented chain of custody for Pretti’s gun, raising the question of whether evidence has been improperly handled (or footage erased). The Department of Homeland Security has refused to publicly confirm whether it has the video he was recording.

Minnesota state authorities were denied access to the crime scene, despite obtaining a judge’s warrant. The state even had to obtain a temporary restraining order to stop the federal government from altering or destroying evidence, which the Trump administration shockingly is trying to overturn.

“We’ve never had to do anything like this before,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, adding that the situation was “uncharted territory.”

All of this raises the question as to whether the investigation into Pretti’s death will be anything close to fair and independent. Border Patrol is part of DHS, so essentially the department is investigating itself, and the Trump administration isn’t exactly known for accepting negative rulings or restrictions.

Customs and Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino may be on his way out after delivering a full-throated defense for killing a U.S. citizen in broad daylight.

Bovino has reportedly been removed from his position as commander-at-large. He will depart Minnesota for his previous post as a border official in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire shortly afterward, The Atlantic reported Monday night.

The Department of Homeland Security reportedly suspended Bovino’s access to his social media accounts, after he spent most of Sunday responding to people calling out his outlandish claims about Alex Pretti.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed Monday night that Bovino had “NOT been relieved of his duties,” in a post on X. But several people pointed out that she did not deny the bulk of the reporting regarding his departure from the organization.

Bovino thoroughly made a mess of the Trump administration’s P.R. response to the latest killing by a federal agent, baselessly claiming that Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, had intended to harm CBP officers. He also praised his agents, who shot Pretti at least 10 times as he was pinned to the ground, for killing him.

Speaking to CNN’s Dana Bash Sunday, Bovino backed up Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s outrageous claim that Pretti had “brandished” a weapon at a group of officers. Video of the incident showed that he had been filming officers with his cell phone and tried to help a fellow protester who had been pepper-sprayed.

Donald Trump reportedly complained that Bovino and Noem had appeared too “callous” in their television appearances Sunday, which motivated the president to send “border czar” Tom Homan to Minnesota to do damage control.

“[Bovino]’s a cowboy, and it was a mess. It was only escalation, and no one was going to back down,” a source familiar with the operations told Axios. “Homan going is a good thing. Someone needed to step in.”

A federal judge in Minnesota is ordering the head of ICE to appear in court Friday to defend why his agency is ignoring court orders and the due-process rights of countless detainees.

Bush-appointed Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz on Monday called on acting Director Todd Lyons to testify and threatened him with contempt, stating that “the Court’s patience is at an end.”

Schlitz’s order came in the case of a man challenging his detention in Minnesota earlier this month. He was supposed to either be released or get a bond hearing a week after his January 14 detainment. By January 23, he hadn’t received either.

“The Court acknowledges that ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an extraordinary step, but the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed,” Schiltz wrote, noting that ICE had already ignored “dozens” of court orders.

Lyons and ICE have yet to respond.

“The practical consequence of respondents’ failure to comply has almost always been significant hardship to aliens (many of whom have lawfully lived and worked in the United States for years and done absolutely nothing wrong),” Schlitz said of Lyons and ICE. “The detention of an alien is extended, or an alien who should remain in Minnesota is flown to Texas, or an alien who has been flown to Texas is released there and told to figure out a way to get home.”

This story has been updated.

Following backlash to the murder of nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, President Trump held a two-hour-long meeting in the White House Monday evening with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Noticeably absent was White House adviser Stephen Miller.

Noem reportedly requested the meeting, The New York Times reports, and it took place amid rumors that her job is in jeopardy, along with that of Corey Lewandowski, her top aide and rumored boyfriend. Also attending the meeting were White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and communications director Stephen Cheung. Miller, who oversees the Trump administration’s immigration policies, did not take part.

The meeting is a sign that the criticism of the administration over its actions in Minneapolis is beginning to get to Trump. ICE is under the purview of Noem, as head of DHS, and she has been the face of mass deportations, as well as the violence committed by federal agents. Noem called Pretti a “domestic terrorist” over the weekend, although Leavitt tried to walk that statement back on Monday.

Miller called Pretti a “would-be assassin” following his killing, and Leavitt also refused to defend Miller’s comments. Meanwhile, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino has been ordered to leave Minneapolis and return to his old job in California, and DHS has suspended his social media accounts. Is Miller also going to be sidelined, along with Noem?

The Trump administration is sending ICE agents to the Winter Olympics in Italy.

The Associated Press has reported that ICE will have a “security role” at the Milan games, and will apparently not conduct any immigration enforcement. This is a tall, high-profile task for an agency that shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis this month—and continues to wreak havoc in the city after federal agents killed Alex Pretti.

Giuseppe Sala, Milan’s mayor, offered a resounding rebuke of ICE’s upcoming presence in his city.

“This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips,” Sala said on Italian radio, shortly before ICE’s role was confirmed. “It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt.”

Vice President JD Vance, his wife Usha, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be present at the opening ceremony on February 6.