1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand immediate congressional oversight of Border Patrol's killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse from Minneapolis who was shot dead by federal agents during immigration enforcement operations despite possessing a legal carry permit and never reaching for his weapon. According to the Minneapolis Police Department and existing video evidence, agents removed Pretti's weapon before shooting him. He was pepper-sprayed and killed after attempting to help a woman who had been knocked to the ground. Pretti was exercising his First Amendment right to observe federal operations while legally carrying a firearm under his Second Amendment rights. He was a white American citizen, as was Renee Nicole Good, another citizen killed by federal agents less than a month earlier. The Trump administration's response has been deeply troubling. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted praise for ICE agents with no acknowledgment that a law-abiding, armed American citizen was killed after being safely disarmed. This sends a chilling message: federal agents can kill citizens for exercising constitutionally protected rights simply because an armed American makes them nervous. Gun Owners of America correctly observed that the Second Amendment protects Americans' right to bear arms while protesting. Minnesota's Gun Owners Caucus affirmed that every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep and bear arms while exercising First Amendment rights. These organizations understand what the administration apparently does not: the Second Amendment exists precisely to prevent government tyranny and federal overreach. This is not a partisan issue. This concerns the fundamental rights that make our political system possible. When masked federal agents can kill disarmed citizens who are legally carrying firearms, we face the exact tyranny the Founders sought to prevent. I urge you to demand a full investigation into Pretti's killing, hold Border Patrol accountable, and establish clear protocols protecting citizens who legally carry firearms during lawful activities. Constitutional rights mean nothing if federal agents can kill those who exercise them.