The Department of Homeland Security confirmed it has no plans to scale back its presence at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara on February 8.
The high-stakes announcement comes as Minneapolis is rocked by the deaths of two American citizens at the hands of federal officers in less than three weeks.
‘DHS is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the Super Bowl is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the World Cup,’ Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told TMZ Sports.
‘Our mission remains unchanged. Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear,’ the statement continued.
‘We will not disclose future operations or discuss personnel. Super Bowl security will entail a whole of government response conducted in-line with the U.S. Constitution.’
The government is facing a firestorm of criticism following the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old VA intensive care nurse.
The Department of Homeland Security insisted it has no plans to scale back at Super Bowl LX
Super Bowl LX will take place on February 8th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
Alex Jeffrey Pretti was gunned down during a struggle with federal agents in Minneapolis
Pretti was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents on a Minneapolis sidewalk on Saturday.
Officials claimed Pretti ‘approached’ agents with a 9mm handgun and was shot after he ‘violently resisted’ arrest.
Footage shows Pretti – a veteran-care nurse with no criminal record – filming agents with his phone as they carried out an immigration raid.
Witnesses say he stepped in to help a woman who had been shoved to the ground by federal officers before being pepper-sprayed and tackled.
He was pinned to the street by six agents before the fatal shots were fired, with his family insisting his last act was a heroic attempt to shield a stranger.
His parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, slammed the administration’s account as ‘sickening lies,’ maintaining that their son was clearly holding a cell phone.
Video shows agents wrestling with Pretti and taking him to the ground before he was shot
The bloodshed has sparked a wave of ‘ICE OUT’ protests across the country, with demonstrators demanding federal agents be pulled from American cities.
Just weeks earlier, on January 7, mother-of-three Renee Good was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross while driving through a residential neighborhood.
The Trump administration labeled Good a ‘domestic terrorist,’ but an independent autopsy suggests she was shot through the temple while driving away.
With the Super Bowl just days away, local Santa Clara officials are now bracing for potential clashes near Levi’s Stadium.
