Breaking: Federal agents who fatally shot VA nurse Alex Pretti are from South Texas

As Rio Grande Valley business leaders and lawmakers continue to focus public debate on the economic fallout of immigration enforcement — particularly labor disruptions tied to the construction industry — another high-profile case involving federal agents has thrust the region into the national spotlight.

On Sunday, a ProPublica investigation found that the two federal officers who fatally shot 37-year-old Department of Veterans Affairs nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis are from South Texas.

The officers — U.S. Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35 — were part of Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement deployment in Minnesota. 

ProPublica reported that Ochoa is a longtime Rio Grande Valley resident and a graduate of the defunct University of Texas – Pan American, now a legacy institution for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The report did not give specific details about Gutierrez, beyond noting that he is from South Texas.

CBP has placed both officers on administrative leave while federal and state investigations continue. Their names were not initially released by the agency.

Impact on business

Pretti’s killing has fueled protests in Minneapolis that have disrupted local commerce and intensified scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement operations.

Some small businesses there closed for days in solidarity with anti-ICE protests, while local chambers of commerce and CEOs have warned that reduced foot traffic and strike-related closures are creating economic strain for downtown retail and services.

In the Rio Grande Valley, there have been a handful of small protests tied to immigration policy concerns, but nothing so far that has caused business closures or disruptions comparable to what’s been seen around Minneapolis and in other U.S. cities.

Instead, the case underscores how immigration enforcement — which is already reshaping local labor markets and construction pipelines — can also generate national reputational and political exposure for the region, even when incidents occur elsewhere.

The development comes as Valley builders, suppliers, and elected officials warn that workforce instability tied to immigration policy is already slowing projects, increasing costs, and injecting new uncertainty into housing and infrastructure development across the Rio Grande Valley.