NATIONWIDE – Following the murder of Alex Pretti, a Veterans Affairs ICU nurse and AFGE member, by federal agents in Minneapolis, AFGE Council 238 President Justin Chen released the following statement:
“AFGE Council 238 condemns the appalling murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents. As a fellow AFGE member who dedicated his life to serving veterans as a VA ICU nurse, the murder of our union brother Alex Pretti is an unconscionable act of violence and a betrayal of the values federal workers are sworn to uphold.
“Every federal employee takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution. The actions of ICE and CBP agents operating in Minnesota violate that oath and undermine fundamental constitutional protections, including due process. Just one week before Alex Pretti was killed, our Executive Board unanimously adopted the Minneapolis Solidarity Resolution, condemning ICE’s militarized presence in the Twin Cities and demanding accountability for the killing of Renee Good. The murder of Alex Pretti makes those demands even more urgent.
“AFGE Council 238 calls for ICE and CBP to immediately cease operations in Minneapolis and for fully independent investigations into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. We stand in solidarity with their families, with Alex’s coworkers at the VA, and with the residents of Minneapolis. All federal workers must be held to the constitution, and that includes ICE and border patrol agents. No one is above the law.”
Minneapolis Solidarity Resolution
Adopted by AFGE Council 238 Executive Board on 1/15/2026
Whereas; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has taken over Minnesota’s Twin Cities, taking aim at working people regardless of immigration or citizenship status. Armed, masked, and often in civilian clothes and unmarked cars, they have terrorized the working class of Minneapolis and St. Paul, targeting people from their doorsteps and on the streets during protests,
And whereas; ICE agents have unjustifiably killed at least one resident of the Twin Cities, Renee Good, and have assaulted others in pursuance of their racist, authoritarian agenda.
And whereas; elsewhere, ICE agents have acted as strikebreakers, intimidating workers standing up and taking action for a fair contract.
And whereas; ICE agents, as federal employees, have broken their oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, specifically the 4th (unreasonable search and seizure), 5th (due process), and fourteenth amendments (due process).
And whereas; Unions, faith groups, and other working class organizations in the Twin Cities have called for a Day of Truth and Freedom on January 23rd demanding:
- ICE must leave Minnesota now.
- The officer who killed Good must be held legally accountable.
- No additional federal funding for ICE in the upcoming budget.
Therefore be it resolved that:
AFGE Council 238 stands in firm solidarity with the working class of the Twin Cities in its fight to achieve peace, freedom, and justice.
AFGE Council 238 will support solidarity rallies on January 23rd and encourage members to attend.
AFGE Council 238 echoes the calls of the Twin Cities’ working class for accountability, an end to ICE funding, and for federal agents to stop their attacks on the working class.