What evidence has DHS provided to support its claim of no prior record involving Alex Pretti?
Executive summary
The Department of Homeland Security publicly asserted in the wake of the Jan. 24 shooting that it “had no record of the incident” or prior record involving Alex Pretti, but reporting shows DHS offered no publicly released documentary proof of that claim; instead, the department has circulated a preliminary internal notice and body‑camera footage to investigators while key details — including whether agents had Pretti’s name in advance — remain contested [1] [2] [3]. Independent video analyses, a CBP preliminary review obtained by news outlets, and watchdog reporting have, in several cases, contradicted DHS’s early narrative and underscored that DHS has not produced public records to substantiate the “no prior record” statement [4] [5] [6].
1. DHS’s public assertion: what was said and where it appeared
DHS’s claim that it “had no record of the incident” involving Pretti was reported in contemporaneous summaries of the case and referenced in broader timelines of the killing, but that statement appears as an assertion from DHS rather than as a citation of a disclosed database search or a produced record; Wikipedia’s summary of reporting reflects the DHS assertion while also noting that CNN reported agents may have known Pretti’s name, indicating conflicting signals about what DHS actually had on file [1].
2. What DHS has actually provided to journalists and Congress
The department has provided a preliminary internal review and a notice to Congress describing that two federal officers fired their weapons and summarizing aspects of what investigators saw in agency body‑worn camera footage, and DHS officials have told reporters that investigators “have videos recorded by cameras worn by multiple agents” [3] [2] [7]. Those materials, as reported, document use of force and internal timelines but do not appear to include or publicly release the agency records that would definitively demonstrate the absence of any prior DHS interactions with Pretti [7] [5].
3. Independent reporting that complicates DHS’s “no record” claim
Several outlets obtained or reviewed internal CBP materials and bystander video that raise questions about the initial DHS statements: CNN reported agents may have known Pretti’s name despite DHS’s “no record” assertion, and internal CBP reviews obtained by outlets made no mention of Pretti attacking officers or threatening them with a weapon — a finding that undercuts the stronger inferences DHS and administration officials advanced early on [1] [5] [3]. FactCheck.org and other analysts noted DHS had not provided the evidence required to back up some early claims, and called attention to body and bystander footage that were at odds with portions of the administration’s account [4].
4. What DHS has not publicly produced — and why that matters
Reporting indicates DHS has not publicly released the body‑worn camera footage it says exists, nor has it provided public database extracts or logs showing searches for Pretti’s name that would substantiate the claim of “no record”; outlets report only that DHS provided a preliminary review to Congress and investigators, and that the department retained possession of some evidence such as a cellphone at one point [2] [1]. The absence of released records means independent verification of DHS’s “no prior record” assertion is not possible from publicly available sources cited in reporting.
5. Alternative signals and motives in the record
Contradictory reporting — CNN’s note that agents knew Pretti’s name and watchdog and internal CBP reviews that countered elements of the administration’s early narrative — suggests either a gap between what front‑line personnel had documented and what DHS spokespersons communicated, or an effort by senior officials to frame the incident in an explanatory way before all investigative materials were reviewed; watchdog and internal sources highlighted reputational concerns within DHS about premature, strong language after the shooting [1] [6] [8].
6. Bottom line
DHS has asserted publicly that it had “no record” involving Alex Pretti and has supplied internal preliminary reviews and told reporters about unreleased body‑camera footage, but based on available reporting the department has not made public the documentary evidence — such as database queries or disclosure logs — that would independently demonstrate there was truly no prior DHS record; moreover, multiple independent reports and a watchdog preliminary assessment indicate there are unresolved contradictions about what DHS personnel actually knew before the shooting [1] [2] [6] [4].