When Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., spoke about the shooting of Alex Pretti on the Senate floor, he had an AI-generated image of the event on a poster behind him, fact checkers said. Durbin referenced the photo in his speech, saying it showed the moments before the shooting and called it graphic but necessary.
The photo contained several distortions, including a headless officer.
I am on the Senate floor to condemn the killing of U.S. citizens at the hands of federal immigration officers and to demand the Trump Administration take accountability for its actions. https://t.co/kd9HXi1rQN
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) January 28, 2026
Social media users also pointed out that in his remarks, Durbin said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, not Border Patrol agents, shot and killed Pretti. They also raised concerns about misinformation regarding the shooting incident.
Several commenters on X called for Durbin to walk back his remarks or for the Senate to censure him over his use of the AI-generated image.
