EXCLUSIVE – Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) is calling for a federal investigation into what he describes as organized left-wing groups operating in Minnesota, arguing they played a central role in unrest surrounding federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Fine said the demonstrations that followed the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, coming just weeks after another Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related killing in the city, were not spontaneous protests but the result of coordinated activist networks that he believes warrant further scrutiny.
“It appears you’ve got organized militias engaged in this direction, and that’s not OK,” Fine said. “These are not spontaneous public protests. These are paramilitary organizations, and they need to be investigated and put down.”
Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was fatally shot during an altercation with Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Saturday. At the time of the incident, Pretti was recording a federal immigration operation and intervened before being taken to the ground by agents and repeatedly shot.
Pretti’s death came amid rising tensions between federal authorities and protesters who have been tracking immigration raids, after an ICE agent earlier this month fatally shot 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Renee Good during a similar encounter.
Despite freezing temperatures, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in the days following Pretti’s death, intensifying a standoff between Minnesota officials, federal agents, and activists opposed to the administration’s immigration crackdown.
Fine pointed to reports that protesters were communicating through encrypted platforms and mobilizing rapidly at enforcement sites as evidence of broader coordination rather than organic demonstrations.
“This is all organized. It’s all funded,” Fine said. “What we really need to do is expose the protest scam so Americans understand what they’re seeing.”
A Fox News Digital investigation reported that far-left activists used encrypted messaging apps, street alerts, and coordinated tracking tools to mobilize at the Minneapolis location where Pretti was killed, indicating they were already on scene minutes before the confrontation escalated. According to that report, ICE and Border Patrol agents were attempting to arrest an undocumented criminal, while protesters gathered outside a nearby doughnut shop as part of a broader effort to interfere with the operation.
President Donald Trump deployed federal immigration agents to Minnesota in December, vowing to carry out large-scale deportations of illegal aliens. The shootings and protests have since fueled internal Republican debate over enforcement tactics and political consequences.
Fine rejected the notion that the administration is escalating tensions, instead placing blame on Minnesota officials for refusing to cooperate with federal authorities.
“The reason ICE has to go door to door is because Minnesota releases known criminal illegal immigrants back onto the streets,” Fine said. “We don’t have these problems in Florida because law enforcement works with ICE.”
Fine also dismissed concerns raised by some Republicans about possible backlash ahead of the midterm elections, arguing that softening the party’s stance on immigration would be politically damaging.
“If we try to govern Democrat light, we will get crushed,” he said. “Republicans need to put on their big boy pants.”
Fine is the first House Republican to publicly call for a full investigation into left-wing activist groups tied to anti-ICE protests. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), posted on X a video of an alleged encrypted chat anti-ICE agitators use with the words “follow the money.” She has not explicitly called for an investigation, however.
Other House committees are taking a more narrow approach. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) has requested testimony from leaders at ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying his top priority remains keeping the public safe.
Meanwhile, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, suggested Sunday that Trump should consider withdrawing ICE personnel from Minnesota altogether, arguing that continued operations there could put agents and civilians at risk. Comer said on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures that if local leaders are “putting our ICE officials in harm’s way,” the administration may be better off shifting enforcement efforts elsewhere.
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Fine rejected that approach, insisting Congress should instead focus on exposing what he claims are paid and coordinated protest efforts.
“When people realize this isn’t organic, it changes everything,” Fine said. “This fight will determine whether we have borders and whether we have sovereignty.”