1. United States
2. La.
3. Letter

We write to you as deeply alarmed and engaged citizens of the United States. Recent events in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and across the country underscore a crisis in federal enforcement that threatens the foundational principles of justice, civil liberties, and constitutional governance. On January 24, 2026, federal immigration enforcement agents fatally shot 37-year-old U.S. citizen Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an ICU nurse and lifelong legal gun owner, during an operation in Minneapolis. Pretti, who had no criminal record beyond traffic issues, was killed in the presence of multiple federal officers in a confrontation documented on video and widely reported. Preti’s parents stated that official accounts distort the facts of the encounter, and eyewitness and video evidence appear to contradict the federal narrative surrounding the use of deadly force. This tragic shooting followed the January 7, 2026 killing of Renee Good, another U.S. citizen, by federal agents under similar circumstances — part of a pattern of lethal force deployed during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis that have sparked nationwide protest and condemnation. These events raise urgent and fundamental questions about the role and boundaries of federal enforcement agencies operating on U.S. soil. The use of lethal force against citizens — particularly in situations where documentary evidence appears to contradict official claims — cannot be tolerated in a democratic republic. Therefore, we demand the following: 1. Immediate and unconditional dismantling of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as currently constituted, including all paramilitary and street enforcement units. 2. Full and transparent criminal investigations into the conduct of federal enforcement officers involved in the Minneapolis shootings, and criminal accountability for any and all individuals — including leadership — whose decisions, directives, or operational planning contributed to these unlawful uses of force. 3. Comprehensive repeal of statutes and policies that authorize extrajudicial use of lethal force by federal agencies without clear standards, oversight, or accountability mechanisms. 4. Independent, civilian-led investigations into all recent and ongoing federal enforcement operations that involve domestic deployments of immigration agents, with full public release of bodycam footage, forensic evidence, and communication logs. 5. Legislative action to restore constitutional protections against unlawful detention, use of force, and federal overreach — and to ensure that federal enforcement agencies cannot operate above the law or beyond meaningful oversight. We call on every elected representative to stand with the Constitution, to defend the rights of all citizens, and to act immediately to end what many Americans now rightly view as an abuse of federal authority.