“Disgusting,” “despicable” and “un-American” were the words Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff used to describe the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents on Saturday in Minneapolis.
Pretti, 37, was an intensive care nurse at a VA hospital, and was among people protesting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. He is the second person this month to be killed by federal immigration enforcement in the city, the first was Renee Good.
“It’s another horrible tragedy that is difficult to witness and justify,” House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford) said.
Bystander videos show Pretti getting pushed by an officer in a scuffle, then half a dozen agents descended on him. A Border Patrol officer shot at Pretti once, then several more shots were fired into Pretti’s back.
Duff said the country is seeing a “slow move towards authoritarianism and fascism.” The excessive use of force by federal officers can’t be normalized, he said.
“People are getting punched, they're getting thrown down,” Duff said. “In the worst case scenario, they get murdered by these ICE agents for merely exercising their First Amendment rights.”
The state legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus also condemned the shooting in a statement Sunday.
“Generations before us fought for the right to organize, to protest peacefully, and to speak out in defense of others,” the statement reads. “Those rights must not come with a death sentence.”
The Trump administration quickly said it was a case of an armed man provoking violence. Pretti is seen holding a phone in one hand, but never is seen brandishing the handgun police say he was licensed to carry. Now a growing group of Republicans are joining Democrats pushing for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics.
‘Both sides are digging in’
Peaceful protest is something Candelora said he supports, but added that protestors shouldn’t impede law enforcement.
“When I see people being killed on the streets who are protesting but putting themselves into harm's way, we've just gone too far,” Candelora said.
“Do I think that there should be 3,000 troops parading the streets of any city? No. But I think we need to have heightened cooperation at the state and federal level, and both sides are digging in,” he said.
In a joint statement Sunday, Duff and Senate Pro Tem Martin Looney (D-New Haven) called on their Republican counterparts to join them in denouncing the violence. The Senate Republican caucus did not immediately issue a statement or respond to Connecticut Public’s requests for comment.
CT Democrats propose updating civil rights law
Chelsea Infinity Gonzalez with the Connecticut ACLU said the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good this month in Minneapolis are not isolated tragedies.
“They made visible what Black and brown communities have been naming for decades. What we know to be true when federal agents use force, accountability is often nowhere to be found,” Gonzalez said.
On Monday, Senate Democrats announced they are proposing a new state civil rights law this session. Current federal law allows Connecticut residents to sue state or local officials if their constitutional rights are violated. This update would close a legal loophole to include federal officials.
California, New Jersey, Maine and Massachusetts all have similar legislation on the books.
The Connecticut ACLU is supporting the move, and Gonzalez said the change is needed as ICE ramps up enforcement in the state.
“We've definitely seen blatant constitutional violations, protesters or folks who are part of our state's rapid response network be targeted,” Gonzalez said.
The update has been under discussion since last session as constituents have raised concerns about enforcement activity.
“It is important for us to ensure in state law that we are codifying protections that maybe we never thought we would have to do,” Duff said. “But clearly it is something, with this regime that we have in Washington, D.C., that we must do.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
