By Benjamin Borghi
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Legal Defense Fund issued a forceful statement condemning the fatal shooting of a Minnesota ICU nurse by Department of Homeland Security agents during a Minneapolis protest, calling the killing part of a broader pattern of federal law enforcement abuses and civil rights violations.
According to the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), Alex Pretti, 37, was killed in the streets of Minneapolis during a protest following the killing of Renee Nicole Good. The organization said the incident has intensified scrutiny of federal law enforcement conduct and sparked renewed outrage over civil rights violations in the Twin Cities.
In its statement, the LDF said Pretti worked as a nurse in an intensive care unit in Minnesota. The organization cited video evidence documenting the encounter, stating that the footage shows “several federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spraying Mr. Pretti with chemicals as he tried to assist a woman pushed by DHS agents, then piling on top of and jointly beating Mr. Pretti before discharging multiple rounds of a firearm.”
The Legal Defense Fund acknowledged DHS claims that Pretti was in possession of a handgun at the time of the shooting but emphasized that Pretti “had a legal license to carry a gun, and Minnesota is an open and conceal carry state,” and that available video evidence “does not indicate that Mr. Pretti pointed that gun at any of the DHS officers or otherwise threatened them before they killed him.”
Pretti’s death follows the killing of Renee Nicole Good and the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg, both involving Minnesota DHS agents, according to the Legal Defense Fund. The organization said DHS presence in the area has become “intensive and aggressive,” and described its activity as “rife with abuse, violence, and racial profiling.”
In its statement, the LDF said that “these wanton and unlawful acts by DHS, which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have sparked widespread outrage and protest in the Minneapolis area and across the country.”
Legal Defense Fund President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson also condemned the killing, stating that “DHS agents continue to unleash terror in neighborhoods, endangering families, elders, and children with devastating consequences. This horrific killing is not an isolated incident but rather the predictable outcome of the persistent violence and other abusive and unlawful actions of federal authorities across the country,” according to the organization.
Nelson further criticized DHS conduct as an infringement on constitutional rights, saying that “DHS officers are also punishing those who exercise their constitutional right to engage in lawful protest against this administration and in support of their neighbors,” as reported by the Legal Defense Fund.
The statement continued by warning against the use of militarized force to suppress dissent, with Nelson asserting that “it is indefensible for any functioning democracy to use terror, violence, and militaristic force to apprehend people for mere immigration violations and to suppress constitutionally protected expressions of protest and dissent.”
The Legal Defense Fund called for federal action in response, stating, “We also call on Congress to pass the Bivens Act, which would allow victims to hold federal officials accountable for their unlawful actions. We support the recent statements of U.S. senators, including Minority Leader Schumer, who have committed to voting against any additional funding of DHS.”
Nelson also called for dismantling ICE and related enforcement mechanisms, stating that “ICE must be abolished, along with any segments of other federal agencies that facilitate DHS’s abuses,” and warning that continued operations “risk further loss of life, further erosion of civil rights, and irreversible harms to the very communities this administration is obliged to serve and protect,” according to the Legal Defense Fund.
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