This past weekend, CBP officers murdered Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The videos that captured the event are harrowing; they show Pretti — with one hand holding his phone and the other above his head — attempting to aid a woman being pepper-sprayed before being thrown to the ground, beaten, and shot several times. Bystanders who witnessed the crime and sought to check on Pretti were refused access to him, and the videos end with screams and cries.
In a saner world, the officers involved would be placed on leave while a full, independent investigation is conducted. Politicians would call for calm but would doubtlessly express sympathy over the killing — particularly when the victim was an ICU nurse at a VA hospital who sought to “make a difference in the world.” But instead, we’ve seen the opposite, with the Administration’s response being just as swift and depraved as when ICE officers murdered Renee Good two weeks ago.
Pretti, like Good, wasn’t protesting a fascist state or trying to stop a fellow citizen from being brutalized. He was a “domestic terrorist” who sought to “murder federal law agents,” and any politician or citizen who defends him — or even raises questions — is just as guilty. The group of heavily armed officers that beat and shot Pretti found a (legally-obtained and carried) weapon on him, which justifies the murder and shows that they merely acted in self-defense. Thus, a thorough inquiry into the killing is unnecessary, which is why the Department of Homeland Security has decided to block local police from investigating.
Provided you have a shred of critical thinking skills, the excuses coming out of the ghoulish mouths of Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, and Gregory Bovino are laughable. From Kyle Rittenhouse to Mark and Patricia McCloskey, there are numerous instances of right-wing figures who didn’t just carry guns to protests, but brandished and used them against protestors. Were these individuals called domestic terrorists? Not exactly.
Kyle Rittenhouse — who crossed state lines, killed two protestors, and injured one other — was celebrated by the Right, scoring meetings with Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, and the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. Likewise, Mark and Patricia McCloskey were similarly hailed as heroes, receiving invitations to the 2020 Republican National Convention to — you guessed it — defend the Second Amendment.
While bringing a weapon (again, legally obtained and carried) to a protest certainly speaks to the tumultuousness of our times, it’s not illegal, nor is there any indication that Pretti had any intention to draw, brandish, or otherwise use it. But this is the era of Alternative Facts, where you can repeat something enough times and with enough conviction that people start to believe it.
For those of us who still maintain a grasp on reality, Pretti’s murder should make a few things clear.
First: We live in a system where most people must obey the law, despite not being protected by it, while a small number enjoy its protection, but don’t need to obey it.
Rules for thee, but not for me. While Pretti and Good (and many of the others killed by federal law enforcement over the past 12 months) committed no crimes, they’re still guilty, because criminals simply are. Likewise, despite their blatant guilt, masked and murderous law enforcement agents (like sex predator politicians) are automatically innocent. Any accusations or charges leveled against them are baseless or conspiratorial.
As many marginalized groups know, the criminal justice system has always been imperfect at best and inhumanely cruel at worst. But as authoritarianism spreads, the brokenness of the system is becoming increasingly apparent.
Second: ICE needs to be abolished — not reformed, not put through a comprehensive training program, but stamped out of existence.
The agency was founded in 2003 after 9/11, which means that most adults alive today have lived through pre-ICE times.
While it’s had numerous controversies throughout its two decades of existence, 2025, in particular, has shown the agency’s utter disregard for the law. From detaining green card holders and citizens to deporting immigrants with no criminal background, ICE abuses (along with those committed by CBP and other DHS entities) are numerous and well-documented.
Far from facing a modicum of accountability, the agency now receives more funding than every other federal law enforcement branch combined, and hundreds of Republican and Democratic politicians recently voted to give ICE “gratitude.” Seven Democrats supported a bill that gave an additional $10 billion in funding to ICE just last week. And new recruits who receive little to no training enjoy goodies like $50,000 sign-on bonuses and student debt cancellation (something the Right has demonized as “socialism” for years).
Abolish ICE.
Third: Know that the pursuit of profit is almost always a driving force behind whatever abuses, murders, and lies occur.
As many of us direct our ire towards family members with Fox News-addled brains, healthcare is defunded, environmental protections are slashed, and politicians vote to funnel more and more money into the President’s personal Praetorian Guard. ICE, specifically, has an extensive portfolio of private contractors, from for-profit prisons and surveillance companies like Palantir to Amazon, AT&T, and so many others.
We live in a world where cruelty is profitable.
Fortunately, large swathes of the public are disgusted with what’s happening, making now the perfect time to channel that energy into fighting, not posing, for change. The tens of thousands of people marching through below-zero temperatures in Minneapolis are an inspiration, and Americans across the country should support the calls for a larger, general strike. In the meantime, consume less, particularly from companies that profit from wickedness.
Numerous figures and organizations have published detailed guides on specific ways to have an impact, and many are great resources that can help you identify a niche. But, in general, remember that anything is better than nothing. Joining a DSA branch, volunteering at a soup kitchen, even joining a local environmental group — it doesn’t have to relate to immigrants, but doing something will feel infinitely better than doomscrolling as the world crumbles around you.
This February, I’m participating in a 5k through UNRWA that’s raising money for children’s mental health services in Gaza (donation page here, if you’re able to give anything!). I’m looking forward to it for many reasons, but mainly because I’m excited to do something, even if that means running 3.1 miles on Valentine’s Day.
Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and the many others who’ve been targeted, assaulted, and killed by federal law enforcement deserve justice. While we can’t bring them back, we can hold the people responsible accountable and care for one another as we work to build a better world.
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