On Jan. 24 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an Intensive Care Unit nurse, Alex Pretti, was killed by a federal agent from the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The incident occurred during an ICE operation in which officials said Pretti pulled a gun on the ICE agents, prompting an agent to shoot him in what ICE described as self-defense. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released photos of what they claim to be Pretti’s gun.
The reason there is much speculation surrounding the event is that bystanders who saw and recorded the incident say that Pretti had an iPhone pointed at the agents, not a gun. Some updates have said that he did have a gun, but that it was taken before he was shot. Witnesses also said Pretti did not initially approach the agents on his own. According to those accounts, he stepped in after an agent pushed an unnamed woman, placing himself between her and the officer.
The conflicting versions of events have fueled speculation and public outrage. Protests have since occurred across the United States, including in Minneapolis, where demonstrators alleged that ICE agents used tear gas against protestors.
It’s easy to look at Alex Pretti as a symbol of the anti-ICE movement. Nevertheless, as English Literature students, we can look at books to see how this might be a more complex issue. In Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series, Katniss became the head of the freedom movement, but people forgot to humanize her. Pretti was a human being first and foremost, survived by two parents, a sister, and even an ex-wife who has come out publicly stating his legal status regarding his firearms and saying he is not an aggressive person. He grew up loving American pastimes such as football and worked at the Veterans Affairs hospital as a nurse. He showed up every day to save lives, just for him to be murdered.
Other names that must be mentioned in this topic are Renee Good, a woman killed in her car by ICE agents earlier this month after she dropped her six-year-old at school, Silverio González, a man from Mexico who ran from ICE agents out of fear and was killed in Sept. 2025, and Marimar Martinez, an American citizen shot five times. She survived while getting in a vehicular altercation with ICE agents in 2025. These are people who were shot by a government that claims to protect lives and, in their case, is doing the opposite.
As I was researching the topic, I realized there was an aporia explaining exactly what ICE is. ICE is a sub-section of Homeland Security, and is a job one would choose to sign up for rather than being assigned to. To be an ICE agent, there is no age limit; you just need to be an American Citizen and pass a background check. However, there are a hefty number of incentives.
I was also wondering as to why this feels like it is coming out of nowhere (even though, yes, it was implied in the Heritage Foundation’s Foundation Project 2025). From what I found, the answer is that ICE’s department’s funding nearly tripled because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or the act that also took away SNAP benefits and healthcare for millions. It’s interesting that, while this was discussed in the media because of the loss of benefits, it was not discussed in terms of the funding it provided to different departments.
All in all, no matter what side you are on, it’s essential to look at human beings for who they are. As many people feel hopeless in a time like this, there are things one can do against ICE, such as peacefully protesting, calling your representatives, and even the smallest thing by reposting about it, so that people can be informed. At a time like this, research is crucial to understand the whole picture rather than just what you see on social media.