Local voices add to public furor, calls for transparency over Minnesota deaths
Published 11:09 am Wednesday, January 28, 2026
The Astorian
In the aftermath of recent violence and shootings resulting in the deaths of two U.S. citizens on the streets of Minnesota by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents, people across the country have looked to their local officials for guidance and comfort and how to navigate a path forward.
The Astorian reached out to local leaders and received a number of statements from state and community organizations addressing the turmoil our country and our communities are going through. Here are some of their responses.
From the Oregon Nurses Association:
“The Oregon Nurses Association is outraged, heartbroken and profoundly disturbed by the fatal shooting of 37-year-old registered nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24. Alex was an intensive care unit nurse and union member at the VA hospital who dedicated his life to caring for military veterans and their families. A life devoted to healing was cut short — gunned down in the streets by federal agents while speaking out.
“Our deepest condolences go out to Alex’s family, his patients, his colleagues and the people of Minneapolis as they grieve this senseless and devastating loss.
“A nurse’s job is to care for their patients — but they are also ethically bound to speak out in the face of injustice and human rights violations. Provision 8.2 of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses is clear: ‘Where there are human rights violations, nurses ought to and must stand up for those rights and demand accountability.’ That is exactly what Alex was doing.
“No one should be targeted by federal agents for speaking out. No nurse should be killed for standing up for human rights.
“ … The Oregon Nurses Association stands in unequivocal solidarity with immigrant communities, with nurses, and with all frontline healthcare professionals across the country who are demanding accountability and an independent investigation. Federal enforcement tactics that endanger lives and traumatize communities have no place in a just society.
“We call on all major healthcare systems in Oregon to stand up for nurses, publicly denounce this killing, and to hold ICE and similar federal agents accountable in healthcare settings.
“A nurse who spent his life caring for veterans was killed by his own government for speaking out. He deserves justice.”
From Jenny Pool Radway, executive director, Consejo Hispano:
“Consejo Hispano condemns the killing of Alex Pretti. His death is a tragedy, and the community deserves transparency, accountability, and justice. It is important to recognize, however, that this is part of a much larger and deeply troubling pattern. Public reporting shows that 2025 was the deadliest year on record for ICE‑related deaths, including deaths in detention and during enforcement actions. Yet the only deaths receiving significant local attention have been those of Renee Good and now Alex Pretti.
“We also want to emphasize a core principle: the use of lethal force by law enforcement should be extraordinarily rare and reserved only for situations in which there is an immediate and unavoidable threat to public safety. Every individual, regardless of their background, circumstances, or alleged actions is entitled to due process and to be treated with dignity. When deaths occur outside of truly necessary circumstances, it reflects a profound failure in the systems meant to protect all of us.
“The lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti mattered, and so do the many other lives lost at the hands of ICE whose names and stories have not been centered or widely acknowledged. All of these deaths demand scrutiny, and all point to a system that continues to cause preventable harm.”
From Stacy Kelly, Astoria Chief of Police:
“The loss of any life during an enforcement encounter is tragic, and we join communities across the country in calling for thorough and transparent investigations. Our thoughts are with all the families and loved ones affected by these incidents.
“Transparency is essential to earning and maintaining community trust, which is foundational to public safety. Law enforcement agencies must be open, accountable and willing to engage in honest dialogue with the communities we serve. We recognize that people may wish to legally observe or express concerns during federal law enforcement activity. While observation and speech are protected rights, it is equally important that members of the public maintain a safe distance and refrain from interfering with enforcement operations. Interference can create dangerous conditions for everyone involved, including officers, bystanders and those being arrested.
“The Astoria Police Department remains committed to community-centered policing, de-escalation, professionalism and transparency.”
From Oregon Rep. Cyrus Javadi:
“The events of the last two weeks, including the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, have shaken the country to its core.
“But, we’ve been here before with the civil rights movement or the war against fascism. And, history suggests that right does win. Maybe not quickly. Maybe not cleanly. But never by accident. It wins because people refuse to abandon principles when doing so would be easier, safer, or more convenient. It wins because they decide that the health of a republic and the freedom and rights it protects matter more than party loyalty or tribal comfort.
“That kind of progress doesn’t come from force or spectacle. It comes from the unglamorous work of democracy: letters written, calls made, conversations sustained, and steady, lawful insistence that institutions live up to their responsibilities. We cannot afford to give up. Peaceful pressure works, and it’s how free societies correct themselves without losing their soul.
“Don’t lose hope. Never lose hope. When hope collapses, fear rushes in. And fear has always been tyranny’s favorite ally. But if we hold fast to our principles, trust the tools of self-government, and remain committed to one another, the promise that once made this country a light to the world can endure. That is how right prevails again. By persistence. With patience. And without surrendering who we are.”
From Astoria Mayor Sean Fitzpatrick:
“Following the horrific events that we experienced in Astoria and Seaside in the past few months it is encouraging that community members have clearly shown support for families of those who have been detained, and are standing up for their neighbors against further ICE actions.
“I would urge continued use of non-violent protests and resistance while we look to our federal leaders to provide guidance on what we can do to support their efforts to eliminate the acts of intimidation that we have seen in our community, and on a larger, more violent scale in Minnesota. I appreciate that local law enforcement officials are communicating with and supporting local families, working with state leaders and being transparent in their efforts to communicate with federal agents about how this affects our community.”
From Indivisible North Coast Oregon Coordinator Julia Hesse:
“Our community is grieving and furious after a second murder by federal agents in Minneapolis in less than three weeks. These deaths are not isolated incidents. They are the direct result of a system that allows federal immigration-enforcement agents to operate with virtually no oversight, no accountability, and no regard for the communities they target. When militarized federal troops are unleashed without transparency or restraint, tragedy becomes inevitable.
“The narrative that these operations are focused on “the worst of the worst” is a political smokescreen. What is happening instead is the deployment of heavily armed, inadequately trained federal agents into Democratic-led states to deliberately sow fear, destabilize communities, and escalate tensions. This is not public safety. It is an intentional political strategy designed to intimidate, provoke, and punish.
“The Trump administration’s fabrications, including the attempt to scapegoat Alex Pretti and Minnesota’s leadership, are as nauseating as they are transparent. They are part of a deliberate ploy they’ve relied on for years: telling people not to believe what their own eyes see. This time, they’ve taken it too far. Their willingness to twist reality, smear local officials, and erase their own role in the violence exposes a level of cynicism that goes beyond political deflection. Even Trump supporters aren’t buying it anymore. Demoting Greg Bovino is not enough.
“Our solidarity is with the people of Minneapolis and with everyone forced to live under the constant threat created by these operations. What the country is witnessing now is what immigrant communities have endured for years: ICE and CBP acting with impunity, insulated from meaningful oversight, and leaving devastated families and communities in their wake.
“We are inspired by the incredible peaceful opposition in Minneapolis, people taking care of each other and risking their lives to protect their more vulnerable neighbors. Democratic leaders must honor that resolve by ensuring that the DHS funding bill, as written, cannot move forward. Real limits on federal enforcement power, meaningful oversight, and enforceable accountability measures are not optional — they are urgent.
“We will continue organizing to oppose these fascist federal actions until there is genuine justice, and until ICE and CBP are no longer embedded in our neighborhoods, operating without transparency or restraint.
“We stand with Minnesota and every city and state targeted by these operations. Our message is simple and unwavering: ICE Out for Good.
Our Demands
- Immediate suspension of ICE operations and the full withdrawal of ICE and Border
Patrol agents from our cities.
- Independent investigations and real accountability for every fatal and nonfatal shooting
involving federal agents.
- An end to racial profiling and discriminatory enforcement practices.
- An end to unlawful violations of the First, Fourth, and Fifth amendments.
- Defunding of ICE.
- Full public release of the Epstein files.
“As Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, “Your grandchildren will ask what you did to stop this
from happening again.” We choose to stand on the side of justice.
We stand with Minnesota and every city and state targeted by these operations. Our message is
simple and unwavering. Indivisible North Coast Oregon will continue to work peacefully and
persistently to oppose fascism, defend democracy, and ensure justice for all.”
Nationwide shutdown may reach Astoria
Amidst nationwide calls for a general strike on Friday, local communities and businesses are posting signs in store fronts in apparent solidarity. While, as of press time, Indivisible North Coast Oregon (INCO) did not have a set plan for participation in the blackout, which allegedly is being union-led, signs indicating community involvement sprang up on Astoria streets and on social media.
Julia Hesse, INCO’s leader, said the organization is not ruling out an involved response and rumors were circulating that a group was planning to coalesce in the vicinity of 17th and Marine Drive around noon. “We are in devastatingly chaotic times and things change in an instant,” said Hesse. Check INCO’s Facebook page for updates.
University of Minnesota students are calling for a second, expanded general strike on Friday, Jan. 30, in response to recent fatal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) interactions. This call comes after a historic statewide “economic blackout” last Friday, when many Minnesota residents abstained from work, school and shopping. Tens of thousands of people reportedly marched in a Minneapolis protest on Jan. 23, participating in the blackout.
This week’s shutdown, organized by the University of Minnesota’s Somali Student Association, Black Student Union and Ethiopian Student Association, is being coordinated on the internet, on NationalShutdown.org and across social media.
The website honors the lives of Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Silverio Villegas González, and Keith Porter, Jr. Villegas González was shot and killed by an ICE agent on September 12, 2025. Porter, Jr. suffered the same fate on New Year’s Eve.
From the website: “Every day, ICE, Border Patrol and other enforcers of Trump’s racist agenda are going into our communities to kidnap our neighbors and sow fear. It is time for us to all stand up together in a nationwide shutdown and say enough is enough!”
This is a breaking story, check back for updates.
