In Minneapolis, ICE Executes Alex Pretti—the 9th Murder of 2026

ICE cannot be reformed—it must be abolished. Here are 5 calls to action you can take now to help protect our neighbors

His name was Alex Pretti. He was 37-years-old. He was an RN. He was defending a woman from ICE assaults. And ICE executed him in cold blood.

I left Minnesota on Friday—heavy hearted at the trauma inflicted upon our neighbors in Minneapolis, but inspired by their resiliency and courage in the face of fascism. Hours later, I received confirmation that ICE agents had shot and killed yet another constitutional observer in Minneapolis. There is no “fixing” this. ICE Abolition is the minimum. Prosecution is an imperative. Justice is non-negotiable. In this article I share the facts on the ground, and provide meaningful calls to action to organize effectively and resist with justice. Let’s Address This.

What Happened to Alex Pretti

The video is horrific. And this violence is not isolated. We are witnessing the revival of a familiar and deadly American pattern—state violence enforced through fear, racialized narratives, and impunity. This is Jim Crow–style fascism, updated with federal badges, enabled by corrupt politicians, and whitewashed by corporate media.

Content warning applies to the following section. The footage is clear. ICE agents pistol-whip a man, outnumber him at least six to one, and ultimately kill him in broad daylight. Any attempt by ICE or DHS to characterize this incident as justified force collapses under even minimal scrutiny. Do not accept their narrative. This is a fascist regime, and fascist regimes lie—especially when cameras expose the truth.

A second recording from a different angle, released by a woman who witnessed the killing, confirms what the first already shows: Alex Pretti was executed while on his knees, facing away from ICE agents, after another agent stripped him of his legally carried firearm and removed it from the scene. Again. Content warning.

The Lies Are Already Being Deployed

Within hours, MAGA operatives and DHS spokespeople circulated a familiar script:

• That Alex Pretti was an “assassin.”

• That he intended to “massacre law enforcement.”

• That ICE acted in self-defense.

None of this withstands factual review for at least the following several reasons.

1. Minnesota is an open-carry state. Pretti legally owned and carried his firearm.

2. ICE had no prior knowledge of any concealed firearm. Pretti did not wave it, brandish it, or even show it. All he showed was his phone to record the interaction.

3. Multiple videos show an ICE agent taking Pretti’s firearm and retreating before another ICE agent executed Pretti.

4. And when that other agent then shot Pretti, he was unarmed, on his knees, with his back to the ICE agent, and attempting to shield a woman ICE was harassing.

This is not law enforcement. It is an execution. The same political actors who insist Americans must have unlimited access to firearms to resist government tyranny are now screaming “he had a gun” to justify government tyranny. The hypocrisy is as grotesque as it is predictable. Before going further, I include the statement released by Alex Pretti’s parents. Their words deserve to be read unfiltered, without spin or omission. Their account is what actually happened to their son. Keep this in mind as you see disinformation from corporate media and from DHS.

This Is a Pattern, Not an Anomaly

As we look at the language ICE deploys after violence, we see a consistent pattern of impunity emerge. Facts don’t matter to this regime. Their strategy is to flood the zone with disinformation to distract, delay, and deny accountability. For example:

• “Renee Good was a domestic terrorist.”

• “Alex Pretti wanted to do maximum damage.”

• “Liam Ramos’s father abandoned him.”

None of these claims are true. In fact, they are all demonstrably false. But yet, every time ICE kills or kidnaps innocent people, it follows the same playbook: dehumanize the victim, gaslight the public, and demand we reject our own eyes. That is the operational logic of fascism. And it is accelerating. And this matters because the death toll is escalating rapidly.

While I have already reported in ICE murdering Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti—the list is sadly far longer. In 2026, ICE has already killed nine people. We are not yet even one month into the year. At this pace, ICE is on track to kill well over 100 people in a single year—more than triple its previous annual high of 35, which was already an indefensibly high number. Here are their names.

Political and Corporate Complicity

Meanwhile, I must continue to point out that this violence does not exist in a vacuum. It is made possible by complicit corporate media, greedy corporations, and cowardly politicians. This was CNN’s headline while reporting on Pretti’s execution—they may as well work as stenographers for DHS.

Alex Pretti was not resisting arrest—he was tackled and pistol whipped for recording ICE. He was not armed when he was executed—his legally obtained and carried firearm was taken from him ahead of his execution. It was not “unclear” from the video what led to the shooting—it is explicitly clear that what led to the deadly shooting is unprovoked ICE escalation. Yet, CNN is content to simply repeat grotesque disinformation from DHS as they lie and accuse Pretti of being “an assassin.”

Moreover, while DHS claimed that ICE assisted with medical care, a physician on the scene submitted this affidavit to the court confirming that ICE refused to let them access Pretti to provide medical care. This was also the case when ICE shot Renee Good, as testimony confirms she was still alive for eight long minutes while ICE blocked physicians from providing care. The pattern is clear—deny aid to ensure a victim dies, then lie and pretend you wanted to aid the victim all along.

In fact, so worried are Courts about ICE destroying evidence, that a judge had to issue a ruling forcing ICE to preserve the evidence on the scene. This is not something judges should have to do to—yet given that the Federal government is an open threat to the American people, judges are taking extra precautions to protect our rights.

Likewise, just this week, seven feckless Democrats joined MAGA Republicans to pass an additional $28 billion in ICE funding—without restrictions, without oversight, and without accountability. That bill would not have passed without Democratic Party support, and Leader Jeffries’ failure to keep his caucus in check is an indefensible failure. And yet, even after Pretti’s execution, a few of those seven Democrats who voted for more ICE funding had the audacity to feign outrage at ICE violence. I made sure to document that we will not forget their capitulation or the blood on their hands.

Since these Corporate Dems choose to support a fascistic agency, they should hear directly from the people they claim to represent. Here are their numbers and a script.

1. Jared Golden — (202) 225-6306

2. Henry Cuellar — (202) 225-1640

3. Don Davis — (202) 225-3101

4. Tom Suozzi — (202) 225-3335

5. Laura Gillen — (202) 225-5516

6. Vicente Gonzalez — (202) 225-2531

7. Marie Gluesenkamp — (202) 224-3121 (ask to be transferred to her office)

Hello, my name is [NAME], and I’m a constituent from [CITY/ZIP].

I’m calling because I’m furious that Representative [NAME] voted to fund ICE—an agency that is kidnapping children, arresting people without judicial warrants, and killing civilians. 2025 was one of the deadliest years on record for deaths in ICE custody, 2026 is already off to a deadlier start, and this vote expands that violence.

Since their vote to further fund ICE, they have already killed another fellow American, Alex Pretti.

Representative [NAME] chose to side with a lawless, abusive agency over basic constitutional rights and human dignity. I expect Representative [NAME] to immediately oppose any further ICE funding, call to Abolish ICE, and commit to protecting due process—not enabling state violence. I will not forget this vote, and it has directly motivated me to vote them out of office.

And finally, do not underestimate the role billion dollar corporations play in enabling, or stopping, fascism. In this case, corporate silence is deafening. When I protested in Minnesota last week, I protested not only against ICE, but against the corporations enabling it—particularly Delta for helping ICE illegally deport innocent people, and most egregiously Target, for continuing to capitulate to Trump and ICE.

Target is headquartered in Minnesota. It lost $16 billion in shareholder value last year after capitulating to Trump and gutting its DEI commitments. Now, despite ICE killing Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, and despite ICE arresting two Target employees who were U.S. citizens, Target has issued no condemnation. None.

A continued boycott of Target is not just reasonable—it is necessary.

My photo of police overlooking and arresting faith leaders protesting ICE and Delta in Minneapolis on Friday, January 23, 2026.

What You Can Do—Now

Now, with all of the above context, I share what you can do to help turn the tide. Rage alone is not enough. Action matters. And you know I do not like to merely identify problems alone without providing meaningful steps forward to uphold justice. Below I share five meaningful actions each person reading this can take. Please read, act, and share this with your networks.

1. Record everything.
   You have a legal right to record. Without recordings, Alex Pretti’s killing would already be buried under DHS lies.

2. Demand accountability publicly.
   I am working with Democracy for America to place billboards in Minneapolis this week calling for ICE accountability and prosecution. Donate if you are able.

   

3. Bear witness.
   This is sent to me directly by local Minnesota faith leaders. They are asking community members to help document ICE abuses in real time here. Click on the below link, follow the instructions, and help create a national consensus and awareness of illegal ICE activities.

4. Support labor action.
   Unions are coordinating a national strike on May Day. Learn more and join a strike near you. If you do not feel comfortable signing your name, DO NOT DO SO, and instead simply keep track of the protest and show up. Labor Unions have long led the way in protecting our rights, and this is no exception.

5. Call Congress—Demand Abolition.
   Demand that ICE be abolished and its funding redirected to food, housing, healthcare, and education. Use the call script I provided above to call your member of Congress and demand they Abolish ICE. You can find the number to your member of Congress by dialing (202) 224-3121 and asking to be transferred to their particular office. Make sure they hear you that we are not asking to simply defund ICE, but to Abolish ICE. Our nation survived just fine from 1776 to 2003 without ICE fascists. We will survive just fine now with them today.

A Final Word

One (of the many) reasons I spoke out and continue to speak out so consistently against the genocide in Gaza is that whatever we allow our government to do “over there,” they will ultimately do at home. Those who funded war crimes abroad normalized war crimes at home. This is why Dr. King warned that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Therefore, this moment demands unity, consistency, and courage. Be angry. Stay angry. But do not become hopeless. Instead, take action. Support independent reporting. Stand with those under siege.

Corporate media will continue to whitewash these atrocities. I will not. If you value this work, I ask you to subscribe and support my advocacy as I continue traveling, documenting, and telling the truth—especially when powerful institutions would prefer silence. We stop this together. Or it does not stop at all.

Let’s build our resistance with justice.