by Shannon Kelly ’26 on January 1, 2026
News
On Saturday, Jan. 24, Alex Jeffery Pretti was murdered in the streets of East Neighborhood in South Minneapolis at the hands of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This is Minneapolis’ second death through the actions of this subset of the Department of Homeland Security that many consider to have been unnecessarily violent and deadly. Minneapolis is emblematic of a national reckoning and opposition with the Trump Administration’s policy aimed at cracking down on immigration. Pretti’s death, along with Reneé Nicole Good’s, has sparked outrage and protest from Minnesotans near and far.
Videos that have spread all over social media highlight that Pretti was engaging in peaceful protest. There has been controversy regarding whether or not Pretti had a gun on him when interacting with ICE, though Minnesota is an open-carry state, and it has been verified that Pretti had a valid permit. Pretti’s parents have also released a statement that said their son did not have a gun and was holding a phone in his hand, which can be seen in multiple videos from the scene.
The video also shows roughly seven officers in the video surrounding Pretti. The officers are all masked in the video, which many people believe is feeding into a culture of anonymity and fear. Pretti’s murder has highlighted a dire and deeply fragile resistance toward the Trump Administration’s actions regarding immigration.
On Jan. 25, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, “Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos.” Criticism of the President’s statement includes using inflammatory and accusatory rhetoric to politicize and polarize the murders of civilians. Democrats have also begun an impeachment resolution against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
Part of the DHS’s mission states that “with honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values.” U.S. Senator from Maine, Angus King, highlighted the fact that these agents are “armed people with masks and telling people they can’t photograph what they are doing and intimidating protesters,” ultimately concluding “that’s not American.” He emphasized that “these people are acting outside the Constitution. They are ignoring our laws and we just cannot keep supporting that.”
In a time of such violence, resilient efforts must be acknowledged. Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans have been gathering to protest in freezing temperatures, businesses have temporarily closed, and the people are exercising their right to show dissent to an administration that is arguably not functioning within its legal parameters.
Pretti sought to be a “force of good in the world” and was a registered nurse in the ICU unit at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis. One of his coworkers at the hospital, Dr. Aasma Shaukat, explained that, “he was always looking for opportunities to help.” His parents have released a statement saying, “Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.” Many people have been present at vigils honoring Pretti’s life in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Chief executives of more than 60 large Minnesota companies have released a letter calling for the need for tension to lessen in the state of Minnesota. Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have released a statement saying that Pretti’s murder “should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.”
Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz has called on Trump to pull ICE agents out of Minnesota. He said something that might be necessary for us all, as one country, to hear: “We are tired, but we’re resolved. We’re peaceful, but we’ll never forget. We’re angry, but we won’t give up hope. And above all, we are clearly unified.”