Elected officials and residents in Bucks County are reacting with a mix of grief and condemnation after the shooting death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
Members of the local activist group Indivisible Bucks County gathered Saturday evening for a candlelight vigil outside the office of Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican.
Demonstrators lined the Newtown Bypass in Middletown Township carrying American flags and signs reading “ICE Out For Good” to honor Pretti and others killed during federal immigration operations.
The death of Pretti, an employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, has sparked national outrage and debate.
Earlier this month, more than 200 people gathered at the same spot to protest the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and the killing of Renee Nicole Good by an immigration official.
Bystander video appears to show Pretti recording agents with his phone and assisting a woman who had been knocked down before he was shoved to the ground and shot dead.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said:
“The practices these ICE and CBP agents are using in Minneapolis are dangerous, and they’re getting people killed. This is not proper policing — and it’s not how we build trust between law enforcement and our communities. The mission in Minnesota needs to be terminated.”
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, a Democrat, said in a statement:
“As someone who has dedicated their entire career to gun violence prevention and improving community safety, I know what it takes to actually reduce crime in our cities and keep people safe. ICE’s actions in Minnesota are not about keeping people safe. They are inciting fear, breaking down community trust, and sowing even wider divides in this country.”
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican, issued the below statement:
“As I have often said, I support the Border Patrol, ICE, and the critical work they do to enforce our laws. Irresponsible rhetoric and a lack of cooperation from Minnesota’s politicians are fueling a dangerous situation. I also agree with the NRA and others — we need a full investigation into the tragedy in Minneapolis. We need all the facts. We must enforce our laws in a way that protects the public while maintaining its trust. This gives our law enforcement officers the best chance to succeed in their difficult mission.”
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, issued the below statement:
“Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti should still be alive. My family grieves for theirs.
“The operation in Minneapolis should stand down and immediately end. It has become an ungovernable and dangerous urban theatre for civilians and law enforcement that is incompatible with the American spirit.
“As a very pro-immigration Democrat and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Border Management, I believe our nation deserves a secured border and that we should deport all criminal migrants. I also believe there needs to be a path to citizenship for those hardworking families who are here.
“I’ve also spent significant time hearing many different positions on the funding bills and maintain that I will never vote to shut our government down, especially our Defense Department.
“Additionally, a vote to shut our government down will not defund ICE. DHS has $178B in funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which I did not vote for.
“I reject the calls to defund or abolish ICE. I strongly disagree with many strategies and practices ICE deployed in Minneapolis, and believe that must change.
“I want a conversation on the DHS appropriations bill and support stripping it from the minibus.
“It is unlikely that will happen and our country will suffer another shutdown.
“We must find a way forward and I remain committed to being a voice of reason and common sense.”
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican, released the below statement:
“Another life has tragically been lost in Minneapolis today, and beyond the headlines, a family now bears a grief that cannot be measured.
“I pray for their loved ones as they mourn, and I pray for all law enforcement officers across our nation. Harm directed at anyone—in any direction—is never justified.
“We cannot continue like this.
“The rule of law is a solemn social contract. It exists so disagreements are settled through order and reason. So citizens can peacefully protest, and so law enforcement officers can enforce the law without facing violence themselves. When this social contract is compromised, our communities are less safe.
“Now is the time to come together: to lower the temperature, reject reckless rhetoric, condemn violence and hatred in all their forms, and lead with respect, restraint, and above all, humanity—for one another, and for the rights and institutions that hold our society together.”
Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, a Democrat who is running for Congress, released the below statement:
“Last week we saw the horrific murder of Renee Good. Today, another American has been killed because of the recklessness of Kristi Noem and Donald Trump. Brian Fitzpatrick has cowered to this administration over and over again, and Americans are paying with their lives.
“Our Constitution demands we defend the rule of law and uphold the rights and safety of every person. Those responsible must be held accountable, starting with Kristi Noem who must be impeached and removed immediately. Then we must replace Brian Fitzpatrick and this Republican Congress.”
The shooting has also drawn criticism from gun rights groups after administration officials suggested Pretti’s possession of a firearm may have been unlawful.
While Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated Pretti was “impeding law enforcement,” local reports and witnesses have challenged that account.
According to MinnPost, local law enforcement believed Pretti was carrying a legal firearm when he encountered federal authorities.
According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, President Donald Trump spoke with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, on Monday after local officials called on federal immigration authorities to leave the state.
Federal officials began leaving the area as tensions continued to escalate and Trump began to question the actions of immigration officials, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The shooting of Pretti follows the shooting death of Good, another Minneapolis resident killed by federal agents earlier this month.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, put out a statement Monday stating there has been a 1,300 percent increase in assaults on ICE officials.
Noem, the homeland security secretary, stated that “you will not stop us or slow us down.”
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