ICE Storm: Twin Forks Reacts to Feds Fatally Shooting Another Civilian in Twin Cities

For the second time in 17 days, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents fatally shot a protester of the agency’s mass deportations in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, triggering outrage nationwide and on the East End.

Like the fatal shooting of Renee Goode during a confrontation with ICE agents in Minnesota on Jan. 7, Alex Pretti’s killing inspired local ICE critics to honor the fallen ICU nurse with vigils — this time at 6 p.m. on Jan. 30 at Hook Mill in East Hampton, the Sag Harbor Windmill; Agawam Park in Southampton, among a half dozen more locally that day.

“When the Trump administration decided that fear and intimidation is a governing strategy, the result is not safety,” East Hampton Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said. “The result is a parent grieving the loss of their child, and a country where more and more people feel like one encounter with the federal government could shatter their lives forever.”

Pretti had come to the aid of a woman whom agents knocked down before ICE members turned their attention to him — wrestling him to the ground and pummeling him with their fists. One of the agents then grabbed what appeared to be a holster with a gun from Pretti’s waist; multiple reports indicated that he had a license to carry the weapon in Minnesota. After the gun was taken, multiple ICE agents fired shots at Pretti, killing him.

U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), who represents the East End in Congress, argued that the public should not rush to judge the ICE agents.

“Declaring (the) shooting in Minnesota as ‘murder’ before the facts are known and demonizing Law Enforcement is reckless,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Leaders should cool the rhetoric, let investigations run their course, and allow the truth to come out. DHS says the individual was armed, approached officers during a targeted operation, and violently resisted efforts to disarm him, prompting an agent to act in self-defense. Courts have long held that use of force is judged based on what was reasonable at the time — not 20/20 hindsight or political hyperbole. We’re better than that.”

But eyewitness videos contradicted multiple narratives from the Department of Homeland Security, its secretary, Kristi Noem, and others who claimed that Pretti had confronted them first with a gun and threatened the agents’ lives. The released videos do not appear to show Pretti holding a firearm — the footage shows him holding a cell phone that he appeared to be using to record the events leading up to his death. Instead, the weapon appears to be concealed in his waistband. Local police say Pretti has no criminal history aside from traffic violations and did have a permit for the weapon, as required by state law.

The ongoing mass deportations have inspired critics of the Trump administration to hold multiple protests, often focused on ICE’s tactics, over the past year, and immigration advocates have been tracking and recording the agency’s presence in the Hamptons and on the North Fork. LaLota said that ICE has arrested more than 100 undocumented immigrants on Long Island, including in Riverhead and Hampton Bays, without incident.

“Just as important, we have avoided the reckless, hyperbolic demonization of federal Law Enforcement that elsewhere has turned lawful protests into riots and actively obstructed public-safety operations,” he tweeted.

Burke-Gonzalez argued the roundups have a chilling effect.

“The harm does not stop at one street or one city,” she added. “It spreads. It changes how families live. It changes who feels safe asking for help. It changes whether a witness speaks up. It changes whether a child can breathe easy when their parents walk out the door for work in the morning.”

New York State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni (D-Southampton) had weighed in after Good’s death, calling it “a clear demonstration of the dangers of having heavily armed federal agents in our communities,” and noted the rush to judgement cut both ways.

“Masked ICE agents are roaming towns and cities across the country in pursuit of individuals regardless of due process, and this inhumane use of deadly force should be highly scrutinized,” he said in a statement. “As the appropriate authorities investigate the killing of Renee Nicole Good, arbitrarily labeling an American citizen a ‘professional agitator’ and a ‘domestic terrorist’ is in clear violation of due process afforded to all in the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions. … The actions that ICE has taken directly harm the relationship of trust between public officials, law enforcement, and the public, putting civilians and law enforcement in danger.”

OLA Eastern Long Island, the region’s nonprofit immigration advocacy organization, suggested that the latest fatal shooting was a call to action.

“This moment in time calls for care, courage, and community,” the agency stated. “Our neighbors need support—help safely and peacefully documenting ICE activity or helping in many other ways. If you feel safe and ready to help, join our Rapid Response and stand with us. Together, we protect one another and show what unity in the East End truly looks like.”

-With Dean Moses