Sen. Dick Durbin uses AI-generated image to criticize ICE shooting

A senator used an AI-generated image from the Senate floor Wednesday to criticize the Trump administration without acknowledging the image was fake.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, who two weeks earlier called for legislation to crack down on artificial intelligence “deepfakes,” said the image was “graphic” but “necessary to appreciate the horror of the moment,” referring to the death of Alex Pretti, who was shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as he resisted arrest. 

“This photo shows the last second before the ICE agent killed Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis,” Durbin said while displaying an image of three ICE agents – one of whom appears headless – surrounding Pretti, who is shown on his knees. One agent appears to have a gun drawn and pointed at Pretti. 

“In (Pretti’s) right hand is his camera, left hand holding the ground,” Durbin said. “No gun obvious. No effort to resist obvious. This is the moment when this man lost his life.” 

Other videos of the encounter show Pretti struggling with officers, who removed a gun from his possession just seconds before he was shot. The execution-style depiction shown by Durbin appears not to align with other video evidence, which the Department of Homeland Security is reviewing. The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. 

The White House is also investigating the authenticity of a video from mid-January that appears to show Pretti smashing the taillight of an ICE vehicle with his foot and spitting on ICE agents. 

Durbin went on to say he “will not vote to fund the illegal DHS and ICE operations that terrorized the city of Chicago, Minneapolis and so many other communities.” 

“The deaths of innocent Americans and the detaining of thousands of innocent people is a national disgrace,” he said. 

Democrats are threatening another government shutdown, citing opposition to federal immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis, which have left two protesters dead. 

The Senate voted 46-54 Thursday, falling well short of the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance a government funding package, Daily Caller News Foundation reported. A government shutdown will start Saturday at 12:01 a.m. if a compromise isn’t reached.