Federal healthcare workers criticized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following the by federal agents, alleging the department is fueling a “growing public health crisis.”
“We can’t carry out our mission to enhance the health and welfare of all Americans when DHS agents are killing, assaulting, and terrorizing individuals who reside in this country,” a coalition of current and former Health and Human Services (HHS) employees stated in a released by the group Save HHS on Monday.
The letter’s authors noted they were “profoundly shaken” by what they termed the “execution” of Pretti—a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital whom they referred to as “our colleague.” Multiple videos of the incident depict Pretti trying to assist a female protester who was being shoved by a federal agent. A Border Patrol agent then sprayed Pretti in the face with a substance, and a larger group of agents pinned him to the ground. Shortly afterward, the fatal shooting took place: several gunshots were heard, and officers moved away, leaving Pretti lying motionless on the ground.
Aryn Backus—founder of the National Public Health Coalition (the group behind the Save HHS initiative) and a former CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) staffer—told TIME that both documented and undocumented Minnesotans are missing medical visits, keeping their kids home from school, and avoiding grocery stores due to fear of being targeted by federal agents. She claims this is exacerbating a health crisis.
“Even if they don’t fear possible deportation, they worry they could be attacked by ICE simply for going about their daily lives or exercising their First Amendment rights,” Backus stated. “And when people are scared, they aren’t safe or healthy.”
She added that the health community—including current and former HHS workers—is angry, frustrated, and stunned by Pretti’s shooting. However, the concerns about the killing being voiced across political lines lead her to believe change is coming soon.
“There does seem to be a glimmer of hope, as the response to this incident has been larger and, in some cases, more bipartisan than other events over the past year. Even though this is a very dark and frustrating period, I’m optimistic that things might change.”
Pretti’s death comes weeks after another Minneapolis resident was shot by an ICE officer. Renee Good—a 37-year-old mother of three and U.S. citizen—was shot by an immigration officer on January 7 while in her car, trying to leave the site of a protest against the agency. Her death has sparked protests in Minnesota and other areas. On Friday, a day before Pretti’s shooting, in the heart of Minneapolis.
Save HHS outlined specific demands in its letter. The group called on members of Congress to pause ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations “until these agencies justify their actions to Congress and the American public.” It also demanded that Congress withhold funding for ICE and CBP until both agencies “immediately stop invading American cities,” consent to an investigation, and implement new protocols “that do not violate the Constitution.”
The demands come as the Senate prepares to vote this week on an appropriations bill including $64.4 billion in DHS funding—$10 billion of which would go to ICE—that key Democrats have following Pretti’s shooting. The legislation needs 60 votes to pass, meaning some Democrats would need to join Republicans’ narrow 53-seat majority to approve it. And with federal funding for the government set to expire at the week’s end, the growing opposition to the measure has increased the .
“Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the D.H.S. funding bill is included,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a , calling the events in Minnesota “unacceptable.”
Save HHS expressed worry that a potential shutdown could endanger public health by prompting the Administration to furlough staffers in a number of positions.
“If the bill fails to pass by January 30, many of us will be placed in unpaid furlough status and barred from providing essential services that support the health and well-being of the American people,” the letter states.
But, it added, “We believe ICE and CBP are a greater threat to the health of our nation than the lapse of HHS services.”
The Trump Administration has sought to defend federal immigration agents in the wake of Good and Pretti’s shootings and portray the killings as acts of self-defense. But witnesses and video of the incidents have contradicted federal officials’ accounts. Several congressional Republicans have joined Democrats in into Pretti’s shooting
Amid the bipartisan backlash, Trump has deployed White House to oversee federal immigration operations in the area, the President announced on Monday. Trump said in a Truth Social that he would have Homan call Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who the President said was “on a similar wavelength” to himself.
