Jewish billionaire Bill Ackman donated $10,000 to a fundraiser for the family of Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a spokesman for Ackman.
The GoFundMe page that was intended to support Pretti's "loved ones" raised over $1 million as of Monday morning and listed Ackman's donation.
Pretti is the second American to be fatally shot by federal immigration officers this month in Minneapolis, where US President Donald Trump, a Republican, has deployed thousands of armed and masked agents in a deportation effort with little precedent.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Sunday that his administration was "reviewing everything and will come out with a determination" about the shooting, as officials in his administration defended it even as video evidence contradicted their version of events.
Ackman previously donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe for Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fatally shot Renee Good, the first Minneapolis shooting victim this month.
Providing a defense
The billionaire, however, wrote at the time that he also aimed to support Good's family, "but it was already closed as it had achieved its $1.5 million fundraising objective."
"I was simply continuing my longstanding commitment to assisting those accused of crimes of providing for their defense," Ackman wrote earlier in January.
This is not the first time Ackman has used his influence in support of politically sensitive issues. He gained attention following the October 7 massacre, where he actively combated the rise in antisemitism on college campuses, notably at his alma mater, Harvard University.
Harvard
On October 9, 2023, just two days after the massacre, 30 student organizations at Harvard issued a statement blaming Israel for the Hamas attack, which prompted a muted response from the university’s administration. In reaction, Ackman demanded that the names of the signatories be disclosed, declaring, “I don’t want any supporters of terrorism in our company.” This campaign led some organizations to retract their statements.
Ackman also criticized Harvard's administration, particularly then-president Claudine Gay, urging them to suppress pro-Palestinian activism and rally donors to withhold financial support from the university over perceived antisemitic behavior.
David Brinn contributed to this report.