1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose any government funding package that includes Department of Homeland Security funding until federal agents are withdrawn from Minneapolis and a full investigation is conducted into the killing of Alex Pretti. Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse for the VA who was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday morning. Just one week before his death, five agents tackled him while he was observing them chase a family, breaking his rib. Medical records confirm this injury. It remains unclear whether the agents who killed him recognized him from that earlier encounter. This is not an isolated incident. At least 32 people died in ICE custody last year, including Geraldo Lunas Campos whose death was ruled a homicide. A five-year-old U.S. citizen was deported to Honduras without access to a lawyer or judge. The administration's response has been unconscionable. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller falsely claimed Pretti intended to massacre federal agents and called him an assassin on social media. Vice President J.D. Vance reposted this claim, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem repeated it to the press. These are lies about a murdered veteran healthcare worker. Federal agents are now collecting personal information on protesters in Minneapolis, including images, license plates, and identifications, creating what they describe as a database. Border czar Tom Homan stated they would make famous those arrested for interference and share their information with employers and communities. This is intimidation designed to silence constitutionally protected dissent. The situation has created an international crisis. A federal agent attempted to force entry into the Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis, violating international law and prompting a formal protest from Ecuador's foreign minister. Italian officials have objected to ICE agents working at the Olympic Games in Milan, with former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte calling out ICE for street violence and killings. As former President Biden stated, we are not a nation that guns down our citizens in the street. I urge you to stand with Senate Democrats in refusing to fund DHS until these agents are withdrawn and accountability is established.