Leila Franco January 24th, 2026 - 9:54 PM
Photo Credit: Conny Chavez
A growing number of artists and musicians have publicly condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a federal immigration officer fatally shot a man in Minneapolis on January 24th, 2026, the second highly controversial killing by federal agents in the city within weeks, following the killing of Renee Good. From AP News, the victim, 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, was identified by his family as an intensive care unit nurse and U.S. citizen who had been participating in protests against heightened immigration enforcement operations when he was shot by federal agents. While federal officials claimed the agent fired in self-defense during an enforcement action, bystander video reviewed by journalists shows Pretti holding only a phone moments before he was subdued and shot multiple times.
Many have responded to the incident, including Tom Morello, Amanda Palmer, Kneecap and more, each using their platforms to denounce ICE’s actions and demand accountability. Morello responded to a social media comment about the incident, equating support for the federal enforcement action with endorsing the killing of U.S. citizens. “You support masked federal government secret police murdering US citizens now,” he wrote. Kneecap posted a photo holding a sign that bluntly read “FUCK ICE,” showing solidarity with ongoing protests against federal forces and frustration with the use of force in Minneapolis. Amanda Palmer took to Instagram with a poem denouncing the killing and urging people to “keep marching, keep calling and pressuring,” framing continued activism as a necessary response to what she described as a grave injustice.
Among these artists’ statements, like Bruce Springsteen dedicating a performance to Renee Good, demonstrators have taken to the streets calling for immigration agents to leave Minneapolis entirely and for federal accountability in the wake of Pretti’s death.
👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/xM5UHBxunp
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) January 24, 2026
You support masked federal government secret police murdering US citizens now. Got it. (PS—ur likely a paid MAGA troll bot living in S. East Asia, but anyway) https://t.co/fPspPXIwFq
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) January 24, 2026
I can’t be on here today. I don’t know how we come back from what we did in Palestine and what we’re doing here to ourselves in the US. The boomerang has swung back and we’re the victims of our own cruelty. Love to all of you. Stay warm, hug your loves, be safe out there.
— Joshua Eustis (@telefontelaviv) January 24, 2026
I try to avoid politics here like the plague, but what the hell are we doing?
This is beyond sickening and completely indefensible. Authoritative actions like this threaten to destabilize all of American society — and in doing so…rob everyone of the most basic joys in life.… https://t.co/Oac2FhFdg0
— Festive Owl (@TheFestiveOwl) January 24, 2026
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