Actor Dean Cain, known for playing Superman in the 1990s television series “Lois & Clark,” defended federal immigration agents following the fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti by Border Patrol officers Saturday.
Cain, 59, who joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a volunteer last year, discussed the incident during an interview with TMZ on Monday. He told managing editor Harvey Levin and executive producer Charles Latibeaudiere that he believed Pretti was “asking for trouble” by his actions near federal agents while armed.
“He certainly wasn’t there just being a peaceful protester,” Cain said in the interview. “And it was a very bad idea to engage physically with federal law enforcement while armed. He’s standing between law enforcement officers and that woman. That’s a mistake in its own right. And doing it while armed is a bad, bad idea.”
Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse, was shot and killed Saturday while filming federal immigration enforcement activities in Minneapolis. Witness testimonies and video footage show agents deployed pepper spray toward Pretti at close range and struck him before multiple agents tackled him. Moments later, several gunshots were heard.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a press conference following the shooting in which she described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” citing that he was carrying a semi-automatic handgun at the time. Minnesota law allows individuals to carry handguns in public with the appropriate permit. Video of the incident does not show Pretti brandishing the weapon.
“He certainly wasn’t there just being a peaceful protester. And it was a very bad idea to engage physically with federal law enforcement while armed.”
Dean Cain, in TMZ interview
Cain suggested several possible explanations for why agents may have used deadly force, including scenarios where someone could be perceived as obstructing federal law enforcement. “If someone is committing a felony — which would be obstructing law enforcement, ICE, federal agents from doing their job, impeding, obstructing — that’s a felony, and perhaps they were just trying to take him down at that point in time,” Cain said.
The actor also placed responsibility for the broader situation on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing them of failing to cooperate with federal authorities. When asked by Levin to provide evidence that either official had encouraged residents to confront federal agents, Cain said he had seen video clips supporting his claims but did not cite specific statements.
Levin corrected Cain during the interview, saying “I just want to set the record straight here. I have never heard the governor or the mayor say ‘fight them in the streets.'” Cain responded that he had seen such clips.
Cain announced last summer he would join ICE following the agency’s recruitment push under the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security waived age limits for new applicants, allowing people older than 40 to join. ICE has offered signing bonuses up to $50,000 as part of efforts to hire 10,000 additional agents.
Cain, a deputy sheriff and reserve police officer in Idaho, told Fox News Digital in August that he decided to join ICE to support agents who have been “vilified” for doing their jobs. “I had to stand up with them and for them because I think it takes people standing up to change the culture,” he said at the time.
He was sworn in as an “honorary ICE officer” in August 2025, according to Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security’s spokesperson. It was not immediately clear what his duties as an honorary officer entail.
Pretti’s parents released a statement Saturday describing their son as “a kindhearted soul” who wanted to make a positive impact. They criticized what they called false claims made about him following the shooting, describing them as harmful and inaccurate.
