Today, a Minneapolis man, Alex Pretti, was fatally shot by a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent, according to city officials. The 37-year-old was a U.S. citizen and intensive care unit nurse. Available video evidence appears to show 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 in very close range and ultimately killing him. DHS officials claimed in a statement that Mr. Pretti had a handgun in his possession, but he had a legal license to carry a gun, and Minnesota is an open and conceal carry state. 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.
This incident follows the recent killing of Renee Nicole Good and the recent shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg, both by DHS agents in Minneapolis, and comes amid intensive and aggressive DHS enforcement activity in the Twin Cities that has been rife with abuse, violence, and racial profiling. 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.
In response, Legal Defense Fund (LDF) President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement:
“We are outraged by this senseless loss of life, and our hearts go out to the victim’s loved ones and the larger Minneapolis community. 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—most recently in Minneapolis, where DHS presence has surged. 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.
“The egregious violence exhibited by DHS officers in Minneapolis is unacceptable and tears at the fabric of our multiracial democracy and our public safety, which becomes more fragile with each passing day. 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 tragedy surrounding these recent events demonstrates, unequivocally, that ICE must be abolished, along with any segments of other federal agencies that facilitate DHS’s abuses. Residents in Minneapolis and nationwide are fighting for their own safety and the safety of their neighbors, while shedding light on law enforcement abuses and demanding the truth, transparency, and justice that are essential in this moment. The American people deserve better than lies and hollow justifications for DHS’s gross civil and human rights violations. Anything less than full abolition of ICE and full accountability for all federal agents engaged in these assaults on our country risks further loss of life, further erosion of civil rights, and irreversible harms to the very communities this administration is obliged to serve and protect.
“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. We call on all members of Congress to do the same in the interest of the rights and freedoms of the American people.”
Read LDF’s letter to Congress urging members to restrict DHS funding and pass the Bivens Act.
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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights legal organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF’s archive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.
