Minneapolis ICE Sitrep: Shooters Identified, Operations Spread to Greater Minnesota
- Patrick Duggan
- Feb 2
- 5 min read
# Minneapolis ICE Sitrep: Shooters Identified, Operations Spread to Greater Minnesota
**Published:** February 2, 2026
**Author:** DugganUSA Threat Intelligence
TL;DR
ProPublica identified the two federal agents who killed Alex Pretti on January 24: Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa (43) and CBP officer Raymundo Gutierrez (35). Both are from South Texas. The DOJ Civil Rights Division is now investigating. Meanwhile, Operation Metro Surge has spread beyond the Twin Cities—ICE activity confirmed in Winona, Rochester, and across Greater Minnesota. Here's the full sitrep.
The Shooters: Now We Have Names
Jesus Ochoa (Border Patrol)
| Detail | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Age | 43 |
| Agency | Border Patrol |
| Joined CBP | 2018 |
| Education | UT-Pan American, Criminal Justice |
| Home | Rio Grande Valley, South Texas |
| Voter Registration | Republican (active) |
| Assignment | Operation Metro Surge |
| Status | Administrative leave |
**Per his ex-wife Angelica Ochoa:** By the time they divorced in 2021, he had become a "gun enthusiast with about 25 rifles, pistols and shotguns."
Raymundo Gutierrez (CBP Office of Field Operations)
| Detail | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Age | 35 |
| Agency | CBP Office of Field Operations |
| Joined CBP | 2014 |
| Assignment | **Special Response Team** (SWAT-equivalent) |
| Home | South Texas |
| Status | Administrative leave |
**Note:** One agent was "confirmed at a violent incident 3 days earlier" per reporting. Unconfirmed which agent.
What They Did (Jan 24, 2026)
- Alex Pretti (37), VA hospital ICU nurse, was documenting federal agents in the Glam Doll Donuts area
- Video shows agent knocking a woman to the ground
- Pretti came to her aid
- Agents pepper-sprayed him, pulled him to the ground
- Video appears to show agent removing Pretti's holstered firearm from his hip
- **Both agents fired approximately 10 shots**
- Pretti died at the scene
- Minnesota is an open-carry state—Pretti was legally armed
DOJ Civil Rights Investigation
**Status:** LAUNCHED (January 31, 2026)
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is investigating whether Ochoa and Gutierrez violated Pretti's civil rights.
**Key gap:** DHS is withholding the agents' identities from:
- Congress
- State law enforcement
- Local law enforcement
ProPublica obtained the names through government records, not official disclosure.
Operations Spreading: Greater Minnesota Now Active
Winona (Southeast Minnesota)
| Date | Activity |
|------|----------|
| Jan 16 | ICE detained Hmong American man, transported to El Paso, TX |
| Jan 22 | ICE activity confirmed by Winona PD |
| Jan 28 | Detainee released after 8 days—family drove to Texas for pickup |
**Local response:** Winona Rapid Response Team (volunteer citizens) documenting ICE movements.
**Winona Police Chief Tom Williams:** Confirmed federal agents were in the area Jan 16 and 22. ICE notified WPD when entering/exiting. Chief "isn't sure what ICE did on those dates."
Rochester
ICE activity reported. Details pending.
Pattern
Operation Metro Surge was announced December 4, 2025 for the Twin Cities metro. It has now expanded to:
- Suburban ring (Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, etc.)
- Greater Minnesota (Winona, Rochester, Faribault)
- Rural areas
The Alberto Castañeda Mondragón Case
**This one matters for documentation.**
| Detail | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Name | Alberto Castañeda Mondragón |
| Age | 31 |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Hospital | Hennepin County Medical Center |
| Injuries | Broken face bones, broken skull, brain bleeding |
ICE's Story
> "He purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall" while handcuffed.
Hospital's Determination
> Injuries are **inconsistent with that account.**
Hospital staff at HCMC determined the fractures and bleeding throughout his brain could not have been caused by running into a wall.
**Implication:** Alleged assault of detainee in custody. Medical records create evidence trail.
Updated Casualty Count
Fatal Shootings by Federal Agents
| Date | Victim | Age | Location | Shooters |
|------|--------|-----|----------|----------|
| Jan 7 | Renee Nicole Good | 37 | South Minneapolis | Unidentified |
| Jan 24 | Alex Jeffery Pretti | 37 | Glam Doll Donuts | **Jesus Ochoa, Raymundo Gutierrez** |
Non-Fatal Shootings
| Date | Victim | Location | Status |
|------|--------|----------|--------|
| Jan 14 | Julio Cesar Sosa Celis | 24th & Lyndale | Shot in leg, survived |
Alleged Assault in Custody
| Date | Victim | Age | Status |
|------|--------|-----|--------|
| Late Jan | Alberto Castañeda Mondragón | 31 | Severe head injuries—ICE story disputed by hospital |
Church Protest Arrests (Feb 1-2)
| Name | Status |
|------|--------|
| Don Lemon | Arrested, released on own recognizance |
| Ian Davis Austin | Arrested |
| Jerome Deangelo Richardson | Arrested |
Don Lemon was arrested at a St. Paul church protest. LA Mayor Karen Bass: "He should not have been in court anyway."
National Strike (Feb 2, 2026)
- **300+ cities** with protests
- **Tens of thousands** participating nationwide
- **Target HQ** under pressure in Minneapolis
What's Not in the Databases
We checked:
| Source | Ochoa | Gutierrez |
|--------|-------|-----------|
| wiki.icelist.is | **Not found** | **Not found** |
| Our IOC indexes | **Not found** | **Not found** |
| Prior complaints | **None public** | **None public** |
The shooters have no documented prior incidents in public accountability databases. Either they're clean, or the records aren't accessible.
Command Structure
| Position | Name | Status |
|----------|------|--------|
| Border Czar | Tom Homan | IN Minneapolis |
| CBP Commissioner | Rodney Scott | IN Minneapolis |
| DHS Secretary | Kristi Noem | Messaging role reduced |
| Former Commander | Gregory Bovino | OUT - Returned to El Centro |
Fort Snelling Infrastructure
The permanent base continues expansion:
- 500-800 personnel capacity
- 5 aircraft hangars
- Munitions magazine access
- **This is not temporary**
Assessment
What Changed This Week
| Development | Significance |
|-------------|--------------|
| **Shooters identified** | Ochoa (BP) and Gutierrez (CBP-OFO) now named |
| **DOJ civil rights probe** | Federal investigation active |
| **Operations spread** | Winona, Rochester—no longer just Twin Cities |
| **Alberto assault allegations** | Hospital disputes ICE's "ran into wall" story |
| **Don Lemon arrested** | Celebrity martyr = national coverage |
What Didn't Change
- Fort Snelling expansion continues
- 3,000+ agents still deployed
- No officers charged
- Accountability offices still shuttered
- DHS withholding identities from Congress
Ground Truth
The identification of Ochoa and Gutierrez is the first crack in the wall of anonymity protecting federal agents in Operation Metro Surge. ProPublica got the names through records, not disclosure—DHS is still actively hiding them from Congress and state law enforcement.
The spread to Winona and Greater Minnesota shows this isn't a targeted metro operation anymore. It's statewide.
The Alberto Castañeda Mondragón case—where hospital staff directly contradicted ICE's cover story about head injuries—creates medical record evidence that survives in court.
How to Track
**People Over Papers:** Real-time ICE activity map for Minnesota
- Critical (red), Active (yellow), Observed (green) markers
- Community-sourced reports
**Winona Rapid Response Team:** Local documentation
- Contact: Dwayne Voegeli, Lois Van Tol
Platform Stats
| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Documents Indexed | 109,427 (Epstein) + 278,859 (IOCs) |
| Automated Decisions | 301,559 |
| Minneapolis Sitreps | 4 (Jan 7, Jan 24, Jan 27, Feb 2) |
Sources
- [ProPublica - CBP Agents Identified](https://www.propublica.org/article/alex-pretti-shooting-cbp-agents-identified-jesus-ochoa-raymundo-gutierrez)
- [MPR News - Ochoa and Gutierrez Identified](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/02/01/jesus-ochoa-raymundo-gutierrez-identified-in-alex-pretti-shooting-border-patrol-protection)
- [Winona Post - ICE Arrests](https://www.winonapost.com/news/ice-arrested-two-winona-residents-volunteers-say/article_7f71e362-4de0-48d6-8d8e-3a81ae947750.html)
- [FOX 9 - Feb 2 Updates](https://www.fox9.com/news/ice-minnesota-latest-feb-2-2026)
- [NBC News - Alberto Castañeda Mondragón](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/live-updates-nationwide-anti-ice-demonstrations-planned-operations-con-rcna256668)
- [MyRGV - South Texas Background](https://myrgv.com/alerts-mcm/2026/02/01/federal-agents-in-alex-prettis-shooting-death-hail-from-south-texas-according-to-propublica-report/)
*This sitrep was compiled using the DugganUSA Threat Intelligence Platform. We document what others won't.*
*Full sitrep archive: compliance/evidence/minneapolis-ice-shooting-2026-01-24/*
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