Hundreds Rally in Dallas Following Second Fatal ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
Over 500 demonstrators gathered outside Dallas City Hall on Thursday evening to protest the intensified presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, following the second fatal shooting of a civilian by federal agents in Minneapolis this month. The rally, which remained peaceful, was organized by a coalition of local advocacy groups responding to the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse killed during an altercation with agents on January 24.
Protesters in Dallas chanted the names of Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, another Minneapolis resident fatally shot by ICE agents on January 7. Participants carried signs reading “Dallas, Stand Up, Fight Back” and held a moment of silence for the deceased. Thursday’s event was rescheduled from earlier in the week due to severe winter weather in North Texas, yet hundreds still turned out to demand an end to what they described as federal overreach.
The unrest stems from a recent surge in federal enforcement operations. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reportedly deployed over 2,000 agents to the Minneapolis area earlier this month as part of a large-scale immigration enforcement initiative.
Federal officials have defended the actions of their agents in both incidents, citing officer safety and national security. Regarding the January 7 death of Renee Good, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem described the encounter as an “act of domestic terrorism,” alleging that Good attempted to use her vehicle to run over officers before lethal force was deployed. In the case of Pretti, authorities stated that agents recovered a concealed firearm from his person during the confrontation. Supporters of the enforcement operations argue that the increased federal presence is necessary to uphold immigration laws and maintain public order in sanctuary jurisdictions.
However, family members and legal representatives for the victims dispute these accounts. Witnesses claim Pretti, a veteran and registered nurse, was documenting an arrest when he was pinned to the ground. Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot has joined a national coalition of prosecutors pledging to scrutinize federal actions, stating that federal agents “do not have absolute immunity” and can face prosecution in state courts if excessive force is proven.
Locally, the Dallas Police Department has sought to distance itself from the federal operations. Police Chief Daniel Ko recently rejected a $25 million offer to partner with ICE, assuring the city’s oversight board that local officers would not participate in federal immigration enforcement. Despite these assurances, community members at the rally expressed fear that the violence seen in Minneapolis could occur in North Texas if federal operations continue to expand.
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