Another ICE Killing in Minneapolis

I sit here writing this with an eerie sense of déjà vu. On January 7th, 2026, I was at this same desk writing about the killing of Renee Good on the streets of Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Now, not even three weeks later, I find myself in that same position, writing about yet another Minneapolitan who met the same fate as Renee. This time, it was a man whose death has once again forced Minneapolis to reckon with the consequences of federal immigration enforcement. 

Just hours after his death, the man was identified as 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a VA hospital in Minneapolis. Pretti was described by his parents as “a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends,” a description that would be tragically reinforced by his final moments. As with Good, Pretti’s last moments were captured on video and the footage is just as horrifying. The recording opens with a protesting woman being pushed to the ground by an ICE agent. Pretti’s first instinct was to protect her, moving between her and the agent while recording with his phone. An agent immediately sprayed him with pepper spray as two or three others rushed to pin him to the ground. In a matter of seconds, he was held down by six federal officers before one drew his sidearm and fired ten bullets directly at him. Pretti’s last actions were an effort to defend someone exercising her First Amendment rights, a final act that speaks to the person his family describes.  

Since Renee Good was killed, the public has seen little to no progress toward accountability or reform. Tensions have only risen between federal immigration agents and communities across the country. Demonstrations and rallies have been seen in almost all major cities with thousands demanding justice in response to the recent deaths. For many, the realization has set in that Good’s murder has established a troubling precedent in favor of the ICE agents. This dangerous standard shows that they can kill civilians in broad daylight while being recorded and face no consequences. Instead of holding those accountable, federal officials defend and applaud these actions. This sends a very specific message to protesters across the United States meant to invoke fear. The result of this is a growing distrust between the public and the people charged with protecting them. This only reinforces the idea that the lives of ordinary citizens are treated as expendable under the guise of enforcement.

Part of the problem stems from the disappointing responses we’ve seen from the elected officials in Minneapolis. Mayor Jacob Frey made headlines after the murder of Renee Good by telling ICE to “get the fuck out of Minneapolis.” It was a bold statement in the moment, but that outburst marked the full extent of his willingness to act. Frey has publicly acknowledged that ICE is an occupying force in his city, yet he refuses to take any action that would meaningfully disrupt their presence. Many activists and residents have demanded he order the police to arrest ICE agents who are illegally terrorizing residents but he claims that while legal, it is not practical because they “drastically outnumber us and they have bigger guns.” 

Frey also fails to show support for the abolishing of ICE altogether, which would go a long way to meaningfully address the fear his constituents are living with. To many in the community, it is difficult to watch the mayor acknowledge the danger posed by these masked federal agents while refusing to make a clear stance against the system that empowers them. The city’s failure to intervene has now been followed by yet another death on the streets of Minneapolis.

This course of inaction can be seen on a national level as well. In the House of Representatives, seven Democrats broke away from the majority of their party and voted in favor of a bill meant to fund $64.4 billion to the Department of Homeland Security. These seven holdouts ensured that the bill was passed by a mere 220-207 margin, which would have failed had they voted against it. Several of these representatives, like Laura Gillen and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez have since issued statements condemning ICE’s actions, criticizing civilian deaths, and calling for accountability. These comments would be made only days after their votes ensured the DHS remained funded and operational.

This performative outrage, paired with actions that guarantee more of the same, emphasizes just how hollow these words are when they enable the very violence they claim to denounce. The Senate has yet to take up the package, with its fate to be decided in the next few days but the House vote shows how little protection communities have when funding continues. At a time like this, elected officials show that it is far easier to acknowledge harm than to prevent it. As a result, communities are left exposed and lives at risk while the systems that allow this violence to exist remain fully funded.

These recent killings expose not only political cowardice, but also how fragile constitutional rights become when federal power goes unchecked. In theory, Americans are guaranteed the right to assemble and protest. In practice, we have seen these non-violent demonstrators shoved, sprayed, beaten, and, in some cases, killed by federal law enforcement for exercising these rights. Alex Pretti did not arrive at the scene to cause violence. He stepped in to protect a woman who had been shoved to the ground. This act, which is specifically protected by the First Amendment, was considered a provocation, not a guaranteed right. When protests are answered with force instead of restraint, our constitutional rights start to feel conditional, honored only when they pose no challenge to authority. 

The same thing has been done with the Second Amendment in the aftermath of Pretti’s death. When the story broke that he was carrying a legal firearm, it was obvious that this was going to be used as a way to excuse his murder. In reality, Pretti never unholstered the weapon and had already been disarmed before being fired upon. For decades, the same people and politicians who now point to his legal firearm have defended the Second Amendment as children have been slaughtered in schools. They have claimed that the right to bear arms is non-negotiable. However, when this right is exercised by a person that does not fit their agenda, they suddenly use it as a rationale for violence. Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, among other federal officials, have used these rationalizations to frame Pretti as dangerous. This, in turn, blames him and distracts from the actions of the agents who killed him. This selective enforcement shows that our constitutional rights are only as important as the willingness of those in power to uphold them.

Alex Jeffrey Pretti will be remembered not as a threat, but as someone who acted on principle when it mattered the most. His final act was one that directly contradicted the narratives that are being used to justify his death. Not an action driven by violence, but solidarity. What the world saw happen to Pretti and Renee Good rightfully caused outrage. Not just because two innocent protestors were killed by federal authorities, but because their deaths are proof of how easy our rights can disappear when those in power refuse to defend them. If the government can kill someone for legally possessing a firearm, then there is no right to bear arms. If someone can be hurt or even executed for voicing an opposing view in public, free speech only exists at the government’s convenience. With this becoming more and more clear, the demand for accountability and a reaffirmation of the rights meant to protect us become more critical from elected officials. Remembering Pretti and Good means insisting that no one else should have to pay with their life to exercise freedoms our Constitution is meant to guarantee.