In these past months there has been increased cruelty to the people by the United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). There have been 8 reported people that have died while in custody of ICE just this year. The lives lost were Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Víctor Manuel Díaz, Parady La, Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz, Heber Sánchez Domínguez, Renee Nicole Good, and lastly Alex Pretti, who’s being covered today.
Alex Pretti was an intensive care unit nurse and was most remembered for his generosity, his deep care for veterans, and his desire to be part of positive change. He was born in Illinois and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He sang in choir, was a boy scout, and attended Preble high school. While in school he performed in musicals, and played football, baseball and ran track. His close friend Vanden Heuvel, who he met through the Green Bay Boy Choir, says “The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Alex was his smile. He was someone who was always very happy and energetic, he was a very kind person.” Pretti “represents the best of us”, Vanden continued. “I think he was out there that morning in an act of service and love to his community and his neighbors and the fact that there are still people in this country who are choosing not to see those facts is the most disheartening part of this entire story.”
On January 24, 2026 was fatally shot and killed by an ICE agent in broad daylight. The incident happened at around 9 a.m. near the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in the city’s Whittier neighborhood during a broad federal immigration enforcement operation known as Operation Metro Surge. Pretti was reportedly observing the scene and recording on his phone when the situation escalated. According to multiple reports, agents first sprayed him with chemical irritants and then wrestled him to the ground. He was then shot at least 10 times. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the shooting because Pretti was carrying a firearm on him. There are multiple videos showing the shooting minute by minute and at no time Alex threatened to shoot any of the agents. To add on to that Alex had a carrying permit and Minnesota is an open carry state.
