Veteran of US war in Afghanistan: “It’s completely unacceptable what happened to Alex Pretti.”
Co-workers of Alex Pretti along with patients at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Minneapolis expressed sorrow and anger over the cold-blooded murder of the 37-year-old ICU nurse who was known for his compassion and care.
Reporters from the World Socialist Web Site spoke to healthcare workers outside of the VA center Monday afternoon, while co-workers inside the facility held a vigil for the well-loved nurse.
“I worked with him four years ago as a student,” said one worker. “He wasn’t my direct preceptor. I had another nurse who was my first doctor, but Alex was a delight on the unit, always cracking a joke, always had a smile. I didn’t know him as closely as his other ICU colleagues, but this was an absolute tragedy.
“Lots of my other co-workers were communicating that day and they were just truly very broken.” Responding to the Trump officials’ lying claims that Pretti was “brandishing a gun,” she said, “Frustration was everyone’s immediate reaction at this point. Yeah, he doesn’t deserve that.”
In a widely shared Facebook post, Jessica Hauser, who described herself as Pretti’s “last nursing student,” described working “shoulder to shoulder” with him over the last four months treating the “sickest of the sick.”
In her tribute, she wrote in part:
Alex carried patience, compassion and calm as a steady light within him. Even at the very end, that light was there. I recognized his familiar stillness and signature calm composure shining through during those unbearable final moments captured on camera.
It does not surprise me that his final words were, “Are you okay?” Caring for people was at the core of who he was. He was incapable of causing harm. He lived a life of healing, and he lived it well.
He spoke out for justice and peace whenever he could, not only out of obligation, but out of a belief that we are more connected than divided, and that communication would bring us together.
I want his family to know his legacy lives on. I am a better nurse because of the wisdom and skills he instilled in me. I carry his light with me into every room, letting it guide and steady my hands as I heal and care for those in need.
A medical student at the VA told WSWS reporters, “It’s pretty messed up what they did, and it was a violation of his basic civil rights, as outlined in the Bill of Rights. So clearly, they don’t care about that stuff anymore. And trying to flip the narrative as if he was doing something wrong, it’s blatant propaganda. It was obvious, if you look at the video.
“He worked here at the VA and was someone who cared about America’s veterans and was working every day to help the people who have dedicated their lives for this country. So, the fact that a bunch of thugs can just do that is a pretty big injustice.”
Asked what he thought about the working class preparing a general strike to demand the removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from Minneapolis and other cities, he said, “It’s clear if the federal government doesn’t want to protect the people, they have to take matters into their own hands… Resistance like striking is a great way to go about doing that.”
Commenting on the strikes of nurses in New York City and nurses and healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente in California and Hawaii, he said, “I haven’t heard about that but that’s great to hear that people care about this. The American healthcare system is far from ideal. For profit, healthcare isn’t how it should be arranged. I’ve heard the Vienna VA is dealing with staffing problems and it makes it harder for veterans to access care.”
Another VA medical student said, “There’s a vigil today trying to support the community. Our reaction was like any person’s reaction. It was completely jaw-dropping that something happened to that degree and that violent. I just hope we can keep supporting our community and hold strong together.
“I don’t think the government should try to blame someone for peaceful protesting. It was obvious what happened. It’s harmful to say that’s someone’s fault when they are just enacting their First Amendment rights. It’s even worse when someone who is trying to give back to the community ended up being murdered.”
The student expressed support for the strikes of nurses and healthcare workers in New York City, California and Hawaii. “I support that as a nursing student. It’s inspirational to see that the community fighting for what’s right, especially with staffing ratios. It’s for patient safety and the nurses’ safety.”
Two veterans also spoke out forcefully about the murder of Pretti.
A veteran of the US war in Afghanistan said, “It’s complete unacceptable what happened to Alex Pretti. If there wasn’t already a line in the sand, there certainly is now, and the fact that this is what America has become is completely ridiculous. I’m a veteran myself. I spent 12 months in Afghanistan. Just got back here at the VA from the Whipple [ICE detention] building, where I ran into several other veterans from various areas of war, and all of us have the same opinion that this is completely unacceptable.
“It’s capitalism. These wars are all about money, and just whatever they can do to get more money and power.”
Asked about the conclusions that many of his generation were coming to, he said, “It’s almost like we’re all becoming socialists, which wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
He concluded by expressing support for a general strike throughout the US: “For it. I’m 100 percent for it.”
A Vietnam War veteran said, “I didn’t know Alex Pretti personally, but I’ve been going to the VA since 1974 and he served us vets. He was attacked for protecting a woman. He was disarmed. He was held down by five or six cops, and then they took out a gun and shot him in the back four or five times. If that is not deliberate murder, you explain to me what it is.
“Why ICE should be able to get away with murdering somebody in public for everybody to see is beyond my comprehension. I have been at the protests. I’ve been out there all day long in the cold, in my wheelchair. Everybody in this country is an immigrant. We all came from other countries to come here to be prosperous and, you know, be free. We all have rights.
“Even the immigrants that come here ‘illegally’ have rights. Okay, we’re all the same. Maybe they came here illegally, but they still have rights. You can’t kill people. You can’t handcuff people and throw them on a plane.
“When Trump says he hates Somalis and they need to all go back, let me tell you something. There’s a lot of good Somalis here that didn’t rip off a government, that don’t do wrong. This is coming from a president that is a felon, that is a crook.
“The working class is what makes this country, and you can’t tell us we don’t have the right to protest. We have that right. I myself, in a wheelchair, will continue to go out in the freezing cold and protest.”
Also speaking out was a Roosevelt High School student from a Somali background, who was waiting for her train at the light rail station outside the VA hospital. She said, “ICE should get out of Minnesota now. I’m a US citizen, but I’m scared that they might take me. My high school, Roosevelt, they did a strike as well. When ICE came in, it was very scary. They walked in and started targeting students and teachers. We didn’t think they would come to our school. We were very scared, and we all just started recording. They tackled our dean, which was very scary.
“We walked out. Everyone made their own signs.” Asked if she agreed with a national general strike, she said, “Yes. All across the country. Everyone should start protesting before it affects them. Because here in Minnesota, it’s very scary to go outside right now.”
Striking California healthcare workers denounce murder of Alex Pretti :“He was there trying to help a woman stand up, and he was assassinated”
Athletes and artists call for the abolition of immigration police, general strike following murder of Alex Pretti
Millions are outraged across the United States after 37-year-old ICU and VA nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti was gunned down by federal immigration thugs on January 24 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pretti was helping a woman to her feet after she was assaulted by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents when he himself was attacked and murdered by immigration police.
The murder of Pretti took place one day after thousands of Minnesota workers, youth and residents braved dangerously cold temperatures and held a mass peaceful protest downtown demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CBP to leave the state.
Pretti was shot and killed roughly two miles from where fellow Minneapolis resident and 37-year-old mother Renée Nicole Good was murdered by ICE agent Jonathan Ross earlier this month. Neither Ross nor the agent, or agents, that executed Pretti have been charged with a crime.
The killing of Good, Pretti and the ongoing “mass deportation” operation has sparked not only calls for a general strike in Minneapolis and beyond, but widespread condemnation from athletes, artists and entertainers, many of whom are now joining the majority of the population in supporting calls for abolishing the immigration Gestapo and prosecuting all those responsible.
On the same day Pretti was killed, National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers posted on X, “Alex Pretti was murdered.” The post has over 23 million views, 428,000 likes and 62,000 retweets.
On Sunday, a moment of silence was held before the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves hosted the Golden State Warriors in honor of Pretti. As soon as the moment concluded, fans immediately broke out into angry screams of “F*** ICE!”
Following the game, Warriors point guard Steph Curry, one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, said he was “glued” to the television when the team arrived in Minneapolis on Friday, watching the mass protest.
“The protests that were going on downtown. It was amazing to watch the turnout and peaceful protest and, you know, the unified voice that was here, and you feel like that we kind of turned the tide, you know, to a more positive direction, and then you wake up in the morning and you see what happened.
“So obviously there was no need and no place to have a game yesterday, and it’s filtered over a little bit to the atmosphere today, as it should. You know, there’s a lot of change that needs to happen, and when you are here and you feel it, I was glued to the TV yesterday when we weren’t playing, just watching the coverage and understanding what was going on and trying to really get knowledgeable about it.”
Curry and other players on the team confirmed they filmed the mass protest on Friday from their hotel rooms. “I got videos on my phone,” Curry said. “It was like three straight hours in negative 10-degree weather. It was beautiful to see that turnout. It was amazing to watch.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said there was a “pall” over the city. “A lot of people are suffering, obviously loss of life. Those families will never get their family members back.
“I would appeal to everyone to remember what our Constitution stands for, what our values are, and what that means for how we treat each other and our fellow citizens.”
Karl-Anthony Towns, current New York Knicks All-Star and the first overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2015 NBA Draft, wrote on X:
“What is happening in the Twin Cities and the Great North Star State is heartbreaking to witness. These events have cost lives and shaken families, and we must call for accountability, transparency and protections for all people. This moment demands that we reflect honestly on what our values truly are. My thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with the families of Renée Good and Alex Pretti.”
He concluded: “I stand with the people of Minnesota.”
Fellow Knick Guerschon Yabusele wrote on X, “I can’t stop thinking about the tragic events unfolding in Minnesota, and even though I’m French, I can’t remain silent. What’s happening is beyond comprehension. We’re talking about murders here, these are serious matters. The situation must change, the government must stop operating in this way. I stand with Minnesota 🙏🏾🖤”
Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who was an assistant with the Timberwolves from 2007 to 2011, told reporters on Sunday, “The purpose of all of this stuff we do, and that we’re all in, is humanity and to treat each other a certain way. And when people cross that line, no matter who they are, they should be held to the same standard as everybody else. We’ll see everything that comes out of it, but my heart goes out to people who are losing family members recklessly. To me, that’s what those things appear to be.”
Breanna Stewart, two-time Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Most Valuable Player and co-founder of the Unrivaled three-on-three women’s basketball league, held a sign that read “Abolish ICE” during the pregame introductions ahead of the Mist’s game on Sunday.
After the game, Stewart said her sign was a “simple message of ‘Abolish ICE,’ which means having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence.”
Stewart noted that her wife, Marta Zargay, is currently in the process of applying for US citizenship. “It’s scary. You see it on social media. You see it splitting up families and dissecting communities, and kids are being involved. It’s the worst in all ways.
“And to be married to Marta, we’re working to get her citizenship, and she is a legal permanent resident and all of that. But it seems like it doesn’t matter.”
During a Professional Women’s Hockey League game Sunday in St. Paul, thousands of fans of the Minnesota Frost broke out in extended chants of “ICE out now!”
Former National Football League (NFL) superstars are also speaking out. All-Pro safety Ryan Clark, a current commentator on ESPN, posted on X on January 24, “Rest easy, Alex Pretti. Bro was a hero. Prayers to his family and loved ones. Senseless death… AGAIN!!”
Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle noted on his X account Monday that while he does not like “to talk about politics on this account… Many have been scared of backlash, losing friends or followers, but I am saying clearly:
“I am NOT okay with reckless violence condoned by the Trump administration. I am NOT okay with people being murdered in their own communities. I am NOT okay with people being taken from their homes and families being ripped apart. I am NOT okay with people being denied due process. I love Minnesota and stand with my entire community. #iceout”
Current Vikings cornerback Dwight McGlothern Jr. wrote on social media the day Pretti was murdered, “It’s not right what’s happening in Minnesota.”
Well-known actors and filmmakers are also speaking out against the immigration police. At the Sundance Film Festival, several actors wore anti-ICE pins, including Olivia Wilde and Natalie Portman. In an interview at the festival, Wilde said, “We are very aware that Americans right now are out on the streets marching, and courageously so, and it’s devastating. It’s devastating.
“In a tiny way, wearing a pin does nothing, but at least we’re able to show support. I am able to show support for those protesters.”
Academy Award-nominated actor Edward Norton added, “These are not normal times. We have extrajudicial assaults on Americans and humans going on on a daily basis now, and it’s not okay. Even though people kind of have to put one foot in front of the other and deal with the demands of the day, we cannot act like this is not happening.
“I think what they are doing in Minnesota with the strike needs to expand. I think we should be talking about a national general economic strike until this is over and stopped.”
On Sunday, legendary guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine posted on social media, “SUSTAINED NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO DRIVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE. No one’s coming to save us except us.”
Stop ICE murders and repression! Build a rank-and-file movement for a general strike!
Trump’s “Murder, Inc.” and the execution of Alex Pretti
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital, was executed on the streets of Minneapolis on Saturday morning. His murder was the Trump administration’s brutal response to the massive protests the day before—when more than 100,000 people across Minnesota demanded an end to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) occupation and the police-state measures engulfing the state.
The description of Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” by White House officials demonstrates that there is no limit to the depths to which Trump and his satraps are prepared to descend in order to justify their crimes.
Alex was a nurse, who worked in an intensive care unit and dedicated his life to saving the lives of others. His family described him as “a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for.” His father wrote: “I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman.”
That act of bravery cost him his life. As ICE and CBP agents pepper-sprayed a protester and knocked her to the ground, Alex intervened. He was holding a phone. Video evidence shows that he was tackled by federal agents, who removed his legally owned firearm from Pretti’s belt and then shot him as many as 10 times, the last several as he lay on the ground. This was murder—plain and simple—and it was carried out by what amounts to Trump’s “Murder, Inc.”: a network of Nazi-like stormtroopers operating entirely outside the law.
The identities of the masked gunmen who murdered Pretti in cold blood are being concealed from the public. But the main instigators of the crime are not in doubt. They are President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, chief White House adviser Stephen Miller, Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem, CBP commander Greg Bovino and FBI Director Kash Patel. Vance traveled to Minneapolis the day before the January 23 protests to deliver the message that there would be no backing down and that it was open season on opponents of ICE and the CBP (Customs and Border Protection).
Millions have now seen the video recording of the shooting. They know exactly what happened. But Trump and his cohorts brazenly respond: “Who are you going to believe? Us or your own eyes?”
As with the killing of Renée Nicole Good, the video evidence is incontrovertible. Independent analyses from multiple major media outlets have confirmed that Pretti never drew a weapon and posed no threat. In this situation, the Democrats and the media call for an “independent investigation” and more “transparency” as if there were any doubt about the fact that Pretti was murdered. This is an attempt to buy time, cover up the truth and deflect mass outrage.
The murder of Alex Pretti is a vast escalation in the paramilitary terror in Minneapolis, which is the spearhead of an ongoing conspiracy to invoke the Insurrection Act, send the military into American cities and establish a presidential dictatorship in the United States.
This is not speculation. Trump has said it over and over again. His first presidency ended in an attempted coup. In this campaign, he declared he would be a “dictator on day one.” At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland just days ago, he added, “Sometimes you need a dictator.” These are political declarations of criminal intent, and they are being carried out.
Read the rest of the Perspective here.