Question

ICE used an AI‑generated image to justify the shooting of Alex Pretti

Answer 1

This claim is false and has unsupported evidence behind it. Verified fact-checking groups like Full Fact, Reuters, and other organizations looked into the images that were shared online, and although some of those pictures had been changed with AI, there is no proof that ICE or any federal agency actually made, released, or used an AI-generated image as part of their official reasoning for the shooting of Alex Pretti. What really happened is that people online altered screenshots from the real video with AI and shared them, which added confusion and helped spread false information. But those altered images were created by outside users, not ICE or government officials themselves.

https://fullfact.org/us/ai-enhanced-image-minneapolis-shooting-shared-online/

https://www.factcheck.org/2026/01/video-analyses-at-odds-with-dhs-statements-on-minneapolis-shooting

https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/verified-footage-showing-alex-prettis-death-edited-alter-object-hand-2026-01-27

Answer 2

The claim that ICE used an AI-generated image to justify the shooting of Alex Pretti doesn’t really hold up. There’s no solid evidence showing that ICE or any federal agency officially relied on an AI image to explain or defend what happened. While a lot of altered or AI-enhanced images have spread online, those mostly came from social media, not from ICE itself. Just because AI images exist doesn’t mean they were used by authorities in their decision-making or public statements.

It’s also important to separate misinformation from official actions. Federal agencies typically base their statements on reports, investigations, and video evidence, not random images circulating online. Even if people strongly disagree with how the situation was handled, blaming it on AI-generated images shifts the focus away from the real issues, like transparency, accountability, and use of force. Spreading claims without proof can confuse the public and make it harder to have a serious conversation about what actually went wrong.

Answer 3

The claim that ICE used an AI-generated image to justify the shooting of Alex Pretti is false. It seems to come from social media posts rather than from anything trustworthy, like official statements. Fact checking sites I visited found that the image of Pretti holding a gun was created using AI, and similar pictures posted online are not real evidence. The reports I found were based on real footage and investigations, confirming that ICE agents did fire their guns. News and fact checks consistently say that the images and videos showing Pretti holding a gun were made using AI by people on social media and were not being used by ICE to justify the shooting. Based on all of the evidence I could find, there is nothing to support this claim.

Yahoo News: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fact-check-ai-altered-image-071914077.html

Full Fact: https://fullfact.org/us/ai-enhanced-image-minneapolis-shooting-shared-online/

CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/two-federal-agents-fired-their-weapons-during-alex-pretti-shooting-report-congress-says/

Answer 4

After looking at fact-checks, official reports, and media coverage, I found that the claim about ICE using an AI-generated image to justify the shooting of Alex Pretti is misleading and not backed by solid evidence. AI-generated or AI-edited images about the incident did spread widely online and caused confusion, but there is no proof that immigration authorities used any of these images in their official explanation. Instead, reports show that the reviews of the shooting relied on body-camera footage and written records, not synthetic images. This matters because it shows that fake visuals can shape public opinion, even if they are not used in official decisions.

Fact-checking groups gave the clearest information about the images. Their analysis found that one popular image was changed with AI, adding fake details to a real video frame. This shows that misleading images were out there and spread quickly, but it does not prove that officials used them. Other reports about the official review said investigators used video recordings and written records, and did not mention AI images as evidence. This goes against the main claim.

News stories and media analysis help show why this story caught on. Reports explain that edited images spread on social media and became part of a bigger online debate, showing how digital misinformation can shape what people think. It's also important to think about possible biases: fact-checkers focus on checking facts, government reviews may try to defend their actions, and news outlets add context.

Answer 5

It’s undeniable that the Department of Homeland Security and ICE wants to promote the idea that the people killed by ICE agents, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, were dangerous individuals. Their narrative, at some points, is that they were domestic terrorists, and their death was justified. The question is though, did ICE use artificial intelligence to justify the killing of Alex Pretti specifically. It’s not very difficult to find AI generated content relating to ICE agents, in fact, there is a huge amount of AI generated videos of ice raids and people of color assaulting agents. On top of this, there is currently much contention over if ICE has access to Flock cameras, an AI network of surveillance cameras. 

The question is again, did ICE specifically use artificial intelligence to justify this killing. From what I have been able to find, the answer is no. Although there is no reason to believe that our government is invested in this spread of information, there is not strong enough evidence to show that they are the ones perpetrating it. Although there are many supporters of ICE who share AI generated content, like AI enhanced videos of the incident being used to claim that Alex was holding a gun (Yahoo, Fact Check), or spreading misinformation with pictures of the gun (BBC), there has not yet been an instance of ICE using this content in a press release. This being said, many members of the FBI or Department of Homeland Security will readily claim things that are untrue without directly sighting evidence, when the evidence is likely something that was manufactured to be false.

BBC, False claims about gun in US shooting stem from misreading of reverse image search (Thomas Copeland)

 https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c86vy97g8zgt 

Yahoo, Fact Check: AI-Altered Image Of Immigration Officers' Scuffle With Alex Pretti Is NOT A Reliable Picture Of The Scene https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fact-check-ai-altered-image-071914077.html 

 

NPR, DHS keeps making false claims about people. It's part of a broader pattern: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/31/nx-s1-5690124/ice-alex-pretti-immigration-unproven-claims-dhs-enforcement-arrests 

Answer 6

While ICE does use AI in terms of its day-to-day activities, it has never used it in regard to Alex Pretti. (Homeland Security). There is no evidence from any federal agency or credible source that backs up the use of AI images. However, there has been a significant amount of false news about this topic on social media. According to NPR, “Social media users are trying to use AI to get clearer images and videos of the Minneapolis shootings but are instead misleading millions.” So while there is truth to the statement that these images are out there, that does not mean that they were used in any official capacity. There are a plethora of misleading images out there, so it is important to make sure that you get your news through official sources.

NPR AI-altered photos and videos of Minneapolis shootings blur reality

Homeland Security United States Secret Service – AI Use Cases | Homeland Security

Answer 7

The claim that ICE utilizes AI to justify the murder of American citizen Alex Pretti has no substantial evidence to support said claim. Though it is not untrue that ICE has used artificial intelligence in other facets of their work, it is not applicable for this case. AI was used to enhance a screen capture of a video on social media and other AI images in regards to the death of Pretti spread across social media platforms but were not used by news outlets or other prominent organizations. There are also no reports of Alex Pretti having a weapon on him at the time of the incident and that too was construed by users on media platforms to back up a falsified claim in the name of urging support for ICE. 

The information in this claim is exaggerated/misleading and has taken the story out of context due to social media falsification of the narrative. Fact checkers have proven this claim to be taken out of context, wherein on social media homeland security has used artificial intelligence but said use does not hold relation to what actually happened at the scene. The altered images would not hold up in a court of law and thus, can not be seen as substantial evidence.

Sources: 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fact-check-ai-altered-image-071914077.html?guccounter=1

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/two-federal-agents-fired-their-weapons-during-alex-pretti-shooting-report-congress-says/