It’s been less than three weeks since ICE agents shot and killed Renee Nicole Good [1], then used a terrified five year old boy, Liam Ramos, wearing a bunny hat, to try to lure his family members out of their home, [2] and now, on January 24, Border Patrol agents assaulted and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.[3]
No child, mother, or family should have to grieve this kind of trauma and loss. No person should lose their life in this way. Our country must do better. Raise your voice.
Alex was an intensive care nurse who dedicated his life to caring for veterans. [3] In his final moments, captured on video, Alex stepped between a woman and a Border Patrol agent who was pepper spraying her. [4] His last moments were in coming to the aid of others. It’s unbearable to watch, and gut-wrenching to know that our tax dollars that were intended to fund healthcare are instead funding a system that is spreading violence and chaos – and is terrifying children, communities, and hard-working immigrants. We need an immigration process that balances security and compassion — NOT cuts to healthcare, and certainly not cruelty.
Tell Congress To NOT pass any bill that gives more money to ICE.
This escalating cruelty and violence is the result of an immigration enforcement system granted billions of dollars, which should have been used for our healthcare system, unchecked power, and virtually no accountability. Yet, just last week, the US House of Representatives passed a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill to pour even more money into ICE and Border Patrol. [5] The bill now heads to a vote in the Senate, and the choice for our Senators is clear: They must reject this bill and refuse to funnel billions more of our taxpayer dollars into DHS, and they must advance strong accountability measures.
Our kids deserve a future where families are safe, where our neighbors are treated with dignity, and where the government stops using fear and violence as tools of policy.
What’s happening?
This week, the U.S. Senate will vote on a DHS appropriations bill that passed the House of Representatives last week. The U.S. Senate needs to vote NO to stop this bad bill. Across the nation, there is growing bipartisan agreement that the chaos and violence of ICE and CBP must be reined in—yet these same agencies are poised to receive billions more in funding if this bill isn’t stopped in the U.S. Senate.
As we grieve for Alex, Renee, Liam and the countless children and families this administration has terrified, injured, abducted, or traumatized, we must come together to call on Congress to stop funding these human rights abuses. Last year, 2025, was ICE’s deadliest year in two decades. [7] Absent oversight and accountability, this year is on track to be even more deadly.
Our families and communities deserve better than a system that spends our tax dollars spreading fear and violence instead of putting our tax dollars where they belong: Healthcare, childcare, nutrition, and other programs that allow us to build good lives, go to work, and contribute to our communities. Our nation needs a safe and orderly immigration process that balances compassion and security, not cuts to healthcare, and certainly not cruelty or violence.
Thank you,
Linda, Xochitl, Donna, Kristin, and the whole MomsRising/MamásConPoder team.
References:
[1] Mother of 3 who loved to sing and write poetry shot and killed by ICE in Minneapolis, CNN
[2] ICE detains five-year-old Minnesota boy arriving home, say school officials, The Guardian
[3] A minute-by-minute timeline of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents, ABC News
[4] What we know about Alex Pretti, VA nurse killed by federal agent in Minneapolis, ABC News
[5] Demands for Minneapolis Shooting Investigation Grow as Trump Officials Blame Victim, The New York Times
[6] House approves DHS funding, other final spending bills amid ICE uproar, Politico
[7] Families protest 5-year-old boy held at Texas facility separated from detained father, PBS News
[8] 2025 was ICE’s deadliest year in two decades. Here are the 32 people who died in custody, The Guardian
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