NATIONAL — Following Saturday, Jan. 24 in Minneapolis, Minn., where American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3669 Member and Veterans Affairs Hospital Intensive Care Unit Nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol agents, both national and local union communities alike have spoken out in solidarity.
Threat of continued federal agent and border patrol presence in Minneapolis led various Minnesotans, including Alex Pretti, to the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue on Jan. 24. Bystanders arrived with intentions to observe, record and protest officers who had entered the area to conduct immigration enforcement action as a part of the Department of Homeland Security’s “Operation Metro Surge” — a government-led initiative, which began in December 2025 with a goal of targeting and deporting undocumented immigrants throughout Minnesota, beginning in Minneapolis.
This activity continued after the murder of former Kansas City resident Renee Good by federal agents, which occurred just days prior on Jan. 7.
While body camera footage — which was worn by Border Patrol officers during the incident on Jan. 24 — is currently under review, according to The New York Times reports, external clips that were shared from on-scene witnesses exhibit the interactions, which preceded the shooting.
Pretti, who was on the scene with a cellphone prepared to film ICE agent activity in the area, began to assist a woman who Border Patrol officers had pushed to the ground and pepper sprayed, according to video footage. Simultaneously, he was pepper sprayed and wrestled to the ground himself by federal agents.
Once on the ground, agents began to fire gun shots at Pretti, releasing around 10 bullets in total, according to video footage and The New York Times.
The Department of Homeland Security later stated that Pretti had become violent with officers in the moments prior, as well as drew a nine millimeter, semi-automatic hand gun — which he was carrying on him, with a State of Minnesota conceal-carry license — on federal agents, describing the incident as a self defense act. However, current released video footage does not reveal this reaction from Pretti as DHS has outlined.
Following Pretti’s death, FBI agents arrived at the scene to collect evidence for the investigation, including Pretti’s cellphone and handgun, which were recovered, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In the days afterward, various union organizations — and elected officials — have spoken out on Pretti’s murder as well as other ICE activity incidents in Minneapolis, detailing what they hope for not just the future of their unions but also that of the United States.
Statements
“The AFL-CIO mourns the senseless killing of another Minneapolis resident by federal agents. Alex Jeffrey Pretti was a VA intensive care unit nurse and a member of AFGE Local 3669 — a brother in our union family. Our thoughts are with Alex’s loved ones, his union siblings and the people of Minneapolis at this devastating time,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a press release. “America’s unions join the call for ICE to immediately leave Minnesota before anyone else is hurt or killed. We demand local authorities conduct a full, transparent investigation that will lead to accountability for this tragic and violence act and for congress to use its power to hold ICE accountable.”
“We nurses are forever patient advocates and that means we will fight to protect you at the bedside and we will fight to protect you in the streets — just as Alex was doing when he was executed in Cold Blood by border patrol,” National Nurses United President, Mary Turner said in a press release.
“What we do know is this: a member of our union lost their life, and that alone is devastating. Our hearts are heavy, and we are deeply stricken by this tragedy that has befallen one of our own. Until more information becomes available, I urge everyone to remain calm and encourage peace and restraint in all communications and actions. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will share additional information as soon as we are able to confirm it,” AFGE shared in a social media post on Jan. 24.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley later shared an additional statement: “Right now, we mourn. We grieve for this member, for their family and for their coworkers. We owe them compassion, solidarity and resolve. I urge everyone to remain disciplined and measured in public even as we are rightly angry. Still, we must do what we can to maintain peace and calm. But do not mistake restraint for acceptance. Accountability will come, and AFGE will not be silent about the policies and decisions that led us here,” he said.
“In times of great injustice, labor leaders must be prepared to speak out and uphold the traditions of our movement,” SEIU Local 721 President David Green said in a press release. “SEIU Local 721 members demand justice for Pretti and we are outraged by the federal government’s lies and slandering him. We vow to honor his memory and that of Renee Nicole Good by continuing to fight the state terror that took their lives.”
“AFGE Local 3669 is deeply saddened and angered by the tragic and senseless killing of our union brother, Alex Pretti. Alex died while protecting a woman and exercising his First and Second Amendment rights. He was dedicated to caring for veterans and treated them with decency and respect, sometimes in their final moments — which is the exact opposite of how he was treated during his,” AFGE Local 3669 — Pretti’s union — shared in a press release. “There must be a full, transparent, independent third-party investigation into his killing, and Congress must act to come to solutions on immigration policy to ensure that this type of tragedy never happens again.”
“No matter where you fall on the political spectrum or where you stand on the debate surrounding immigration, Alex’s death is a tragedy. The IBEW’s Constitution calls on each of us to seek human justice, human rights and human security and to refuse to condone or tolerate oppression of any kind,” IBEW President Kenneth W. Cooper said in a press release. “From its earliest days, the labor movement has stood for the principles of fairness and justice and equal treatment for all. When America has occasionally failed to live up to its lofty founding principles, the men and women of the labor movement have always been there to help guide it back to the righteous path. This moment calls for us to rise to that challenge once again.”
“Tens of thousands of working people in Minnesota — including thousands of our union brothers and sisters — exercised their First Amendment’s right to take a stand against the conduct of Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICE) agents, including the shooting of Renee Good just weeks ago. They did what working people have done for generations in the fight for justice, equality and the American dream: they brought everything to a stop and said., enough is enough. No more chaos in our streets. No more shootings of civilians,” Smart General President Michael Coleman said in a statement. “This cannot stand. We cannot have government agents killing people in the street. We cannot have people afraid to go to work because of what’s happening outside their doors. We cannot sit back and let government agencies dictate the everyday lives of working people without facing any consequences. We mourn Alex Pretti and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his loved ones, his AFGE brothers and sisters, and the working people of Minnesota. We urge Smart members to contact their members of Congress and call for the immediate end to this chaos and violence.”
“The labor movement was founded on the very idea of standing together in solidarity with our brothers and sisters to fight for a better future for all workers, and that includes our First Amendment right to peacefully organize and protest. Alex Jeffrey Pretti embodied what it means to be a union member and an American, from his dedication to serving others as an ICU nurse to his commitment to standing up for his community in Minneapolis. The federal government must listen to its citizens and stop the violence and chaos in our cities,” United Association (UA) of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters General President Mark McManus said in a statement.
“As union members we must come together, stand together and unite to defend the freedoms that are central to our country and to our union — for Alex, for our members and for all working people. LIUNA, like our nation, was formed by men and women — many of them immigrants — who organized and struggled for dignity, freedom and a better way of life,” LIUNA! General President of the Laborers’ International Union Brent Booker said in a press release. “LIUNA stands with all our members — whether native born or immigrant — and we will fiercely defend their rights, their dignity and their lives. Solidarity is the core of the labor moment and the foundation of our union family. We know from experience that if authority is allowed to go unchecked, workers and their rights are the first to suffer. As union members, we must come together, stand together and unite to defend the freedoms that are central to our country and to our union — for Alex, for our members and for all working people.”
“What is unfolding in Minnesota and across this nation is appalling and should shake every American to their core. ICE raids are terrorizing peaceful communities, separating families, detaining children and instilling fear. This is not American,” AFSCME President Lee Saunders said in a statement. “We will not be silent as this administration uses violence and intimidation to enact its extremist agenda. We will not let fear destroy the bonds that hold our communities together. Standing up for our neighbors isn’t just an ideal; it’s a responsibility. And we will fight to make sure these fundamental values don’t die on our watch.”
“As proud trade unionists, we value our Constitutional freedoms. The right to free speech and the right to protest are core to who we are as Americans and as union members. The killing of peaceful protesters like Alex Pretti threatens our rights and our Constitution,” United Auto Workers (UAW) shared in a social media post. “In moments like these, the labor movement must not be silent. Unions in Minnesota took action last Friday, Jan. 23, by participating in a general strike and protested across the state. If the right to protest or speak freely is under attack, then our rights as workers are not safe. Our freedom to strike, or to walk a picket line to win a better life, may be threatened next.”
“We acted in the spirit of Minnesotans, protecting our neighbors. We’ve peacefully protested — to stand up for those who can’t. This is not different from what we do every day in our union. What we’re doing here in Minnesota isn’t political in the sense of Democrat or Republican; it’s about what’s right and what’s wrong,” United Steelworkers (USW) shared in a social media post.
Julia Williams — a Kansas City native — is a reporter and digital producer for The Labor Beacon. A University of Missouri School of Journalism alumna, she previously served as the editor-in-chief of The Northeast News before joining The Labor Beacon staff.
Williams’s grandfather was a Claycomo Ford Motor Company retiree and avid UAW Local 249 supporter, allowing her to understand the union difference from a young age.
In her free time, Williams enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to see her friends and hanging out at home with her cat, Greta. She loves a good cup of coffee, seeing local, live music and shopping secondhand. With a passion for storytelling, she hopes to bring her knowledge of journalistic integrity to the Kansas City union community — giving union and labor workers a voice, while holding people in powerful positions accountable.
