To the Editor:
Re “Minnesota and Federal Officials Clash Again Over the Facts in a Fatal Shooting” (front page, Jan. 26):
The killing by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis of Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen, should alarm anyone who cares about constitutional rights — particularly those who claim to value the Second Amendment. If exercising a constitutional right can be met with lethal force from our own government, every American should be concerned.
This incident raises serious concerns not only under the Second Amendment, but also under the Fourth and Fifth, which protect citizens from unreasonable force and deprivation of life without due process. When such actions occur in the context of a protest, First Amendment freedoms are clearly called into question as well.
George Orwell warned in “1984” that power demands that citizens “reject the evidence of your eyes and ears,” calling it the “final, most essential command.”
On Saturday, our own government asked the public to do just that when it told us that the man who was killed was intent on inflicting harm on the agents who beat and then ultimately killed him.
Congress controls the purse strings. Until federal immigration enforcement agencies demonstrate they can operate lawfully and transparently, they should not receive continued funding.
Eric Hinkle Richmond, Va.
To the Editor:
Your article points to a constitutional failure that Congress can no longer ignore.
Under President Trump, officials have repeatedly taken advantage of long-acknowledged weaknesses — most notably the War Powers Resolution, as well as statutes governing national emergencies, executive immunity, administrative discretion and congressional oversight.
These deficiencies were known, debated and left uncorrected. Their consequences are not abstract: Civil liberties have narrowed, democratic constraints have weakened and lives have been lost without transparent explanation or lawful remedy.
Article I of the U.S. Constitution entrusts Congress with the duty to prevent precisely this outcome. When that duty is deferred, power detaches from law, and accountability becomes optional.
The Constitution does not allow delay. It requires action — now.
John C. Galland Davis, Calif.
To the Editor:
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s letter to Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota demanding that he hand over Minnesota’s voter rolls as a condition for removing federal agents from his state makes me and many other people wonder if the voter rolls are the real target of these raids.
The deal offered by the attorney general on Saturday suggests that the Trump administration could be deploying ICE to states that may vote for Democrats in November so it can control exactly who gets to vote in the coming election.
Ms. Bondi says the Justice Department wants to make sure the state’s voter registration is in line with federal law. But what does the administration plan to do with the Minnesota voter rolls? Given its past behavior, it is reasonable to ask whether these armed federal crackdowns are really a mission to seize and purge voter rolls in blue states.
Sara Hobson Cincinnati
To the Editor:
In a deeply ironic twist in our political culture, the dark vision of gun-rights activists standing up to an out-of-control authoritarian federal government is on full display in Minneapolis. This upside-down moment tests worldviews at both ends of the political spectrum.
Principled conservatives should instinctively know who are the villains and recommit to a constitutional order that includes robust First and Second Amendment protections. Progressives may face even tougher choices: passively accept a tyrant, acknowledge value in an armed populace or prove their point through more organized and effective nonviolent action.
Michael Farzan Brookline, Mass.
To the Editor:
The cellphone videos of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti do more than show law enforcement run amok. They are clear evidence that heavily armed, poorly trained and poorly led federal agents are at large in the streets.
But, more important, they show the value of witnesses willing to record government abuse. We all owe a debt to the brave Americans who raise their cellphones to record these tragic events. It is not easy to call out evil, as Mr. Pretti learned as he died, phone in hand.
He may not get justice from the Department of Justice, but he and all the other witnesses deserve our admiration and thanks.
Dan Margulies Tuckahoe, N.Y.
To the Editor:
While driving Saturday, the day Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a peaceful protester, was killed by a squad of federal agents while he was trying to help a woman who had been pepper sprayed — I saw a woman standing at the main intersection of a small town on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, 30 minutes after sunset, holding a solo candlelight vigil.
I slowed down my car, rolled down my window and asked, “This is for the man in Minnesota, right?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Thank you,” she replied.
David Moore Sequim, Wash.
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