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Hi friend,

No words can appropriately convey the collective fear, grief, and trauma that has gripped Minneapolis and reverberated throughout our country in recent weeks.

Two days ago, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a VA hospital, was killed during an encounter with Border Patrol in Minneapolis. ([link removed]) Alex Pretti is the second U.S. citizen who has died in Minneapolis this month because he tried to protect his neighbors.

Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti are not the only individuals who have been shot during immigration enforcement operations in the past year. We have witnessed 12 shootings since September, five of which have happened in 2026. ([link removed]) Luis David Nino Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras were both injured in Oregon on January 8, and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was injured in Minneapolis on January 14.

This time last year, we launched the Immigration Legal Response Center ([link removed]) to protect immigrant communities under attack. We could not foresee how drastically the immigration landscape would change in a year or how American citizens now face imminent risk for lawful engagement with anti-immigration enforcement efforts like protest and observation. We need to protect our communities now more than ever.

The death of Alex Pretti marks yet another escalation of violence and sends a critical message to Americans: Our rights and values are under attack. As we stated in the wake of Renee Good’s death, We The Action believes in civil rights and in the power of the legal profession to protect them.

History will remember those of us who stood up. Lawyers, if you haven’t yet joined this fight, now is the time. Your community needs you. People like Alex Pretti need you. We as citizens — and even more so as lawyers — have a duty to speak out against injustices, safeguard civil rights, protect vulnerable individuals and communities, and uphold our democracy.

Alex Pretti will be remembered as “a kindhearted soul who cared deeply,” and our hearts are with his loved ones and everyone he served at the Minneapolis VA hospital. We will channel our pain into action and continue to protect our neighbors and community. As we process the difficult news, when you’re ready to take action, We The Action is here.

In solidarity and remembrance,
Anna

Anna Chu

Executive Director

We The Action

P.S. If you are looking for ways to get involved, you can use your skills to carry on the work of protecting our civil rights by signing up for a pro bono project ([link removed]) . We will be in touch with additional opportunities to take action as they arise.

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We The Action

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