The Shield of the State:
Why the Alex Pretti Act Must Be the Beginning of the End for Qualified Immunity
The Shield of the State: Why the Alex Pretti Act Must Be the Beginning of the End for Qualified Immunity
The Reflex That Cost Alex Pretti His Life
In Minneapolis, a VA nurse stepped between federal agents and a vulnerable woman. He was unarmed. They shot him ten times.
Alex Pretti spent his life pulling people back from the edge.
As an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, he worked on the bodies of military veterans and carried the weight that came with it. He was an outdoorsman. A steady neighbor. A man who stepped in when harm showed up because that was the reflex he lived by.
On January 24, 2026, in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, that reflex ended his life.
He watched federal immigration agents shove a woman to the pavement during an aggressive raid. He moved to de-escalate. He put himself between force and the person absorbing it.
He put himself between force and the person absorbing it.
Agents tackled him. Pinned him to the asphalt. Fired at least ten rounds into him in five seconds.
He was unarmed. He was holding a cell phone. He was directing traffic and documenting a situation that was collapsing in real time.
The people who killed him were the same people claiming to enforce order.
wisconsinpublictv.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com
The streets are now echoing with his name. Out of this profound preventable grief a necessary legislative push has emerged. Building on previous efforts by lawmakers including Rep. Shri Thanedar’s August 2025 bill to end qualified immunity for ICE agents alongside growing support from Reps. Eric Swalwell and Dan Goldman a new mandate is forming.
It is officially being championed as The Alex Pretti Accountability and Qualified Immunity Abolition Act.
This legislation aims to fundamentally strip away the legal armor that protects the agents of the deportation machine. But it cannot stop there. The tragic killing of Alex Pretti proves that the doctrine of qualified immunity is a rot at the absolute core of our entire justice system.
Qualified immunity is a judicially created doctrine that shields government officials from being held personally liable for civil rights violations - like depriving a citizen of their constitutional right to live - unless the victim’s family can prove the official violated a “clearly established” right. In practice it is a legal loophole large enough to drive a tactical transport vehicle through. It tells agents of the state that as long as their specific brand of brutality has not been ruled on in a nearly identical prior court case they are untouchable in civil court. It allows misconduct to go entirely unchecked burying the dead while financially and legally protecting the shooters.
The Case for Ending Qualified Immunity Everywhere
The math of state violence demands absolute accountability.
No government agent acting in an official capacity should possess qualified immunity. Period.
The scale of state violence makes the case on its own. Police killed at least 1,201 people in 2025 according to Mapping Police Violence. Other analyses place the number even higher at 1,314 people killed in 2025. This marks the first slight decline in six years. It is still more than three people killed per day nationwide according to Campaign Zero.
By contrast, 53 police officers were feloniously killed in 2025. This is a 17.2 percent decrease from the previous year according to FBI data via CBS News.
The ratio is stark. For every officer killed, more than twenty civilians are killed by police. And fewer than 1 percent of those killings result in criminal charges against the officers involved.
If a society hands someone a badge, a firearm, and the authority of the state, that person must be held to the highest standard of accountability.
When public servants are insulated from the civil consequences of their actions, the system breeds recklessness, corruption, and the militarized occupational mindset that leaves a 37 year old caregiver bleeding out in the street.
A badge must signal a duty to the public, not a license to kill without consequence.
Ending qualified immunity for all local, state, and federal officials ensures that when the state acts violently, the state and the specific agents involved must answer for it.
Accountability is not a threat to justice. It is the foundation of it.
https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/files/mpv-year-end-report-2025.pdf
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-officers-killed-line-of-duty-decrease-2025-fbi-finds/.
Take Action: How to Inform Your Representatives
The bureaucratic machine relies on your silence. If you are angry, channel that energy into the exact places where it disrupts their comfort. Lawmakers track call volumes closely; a flood of calls regarding the Alex Pretti Act forces the issue onto their immediate legislative agenda.
Step 1: Find Your Representative and Senators
House of Representatives: Go to house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative and enter your zip code.
Senate: Go to senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm and select your state.
Step 2: The Call Script
(Keep it brief, firm, and directly on topic. You will likely speak to a staffer or leave a voicemail).
“Hello, my name is [Your Name] and I am a constituent calling from [Your Zip Code]. I am calling to demand that [Representative/Senator Name] publicly support and co-sponsor The Alex Pretti Accountability and Qualified Immunity Abolition Act. The killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis proves that we cannot allow law enforcement to operate above the law. I am asking the [Representative/Senator] to commit to ending qualified immunity not just for ICE, but for all government agents acting in an official capacity. Thank you.”
Step 3: The Email/Write-In Script
If you cannot call, send an email through their official contact form.
Subject: Co-Sponsor The Alex Pretti Accountability and Qualified Immunity Abolition Act
Dear [Representative/Senator Name],
I am writing to you as a constituent to demand your immediate public support and co-sponsorship of the proposed Alex Pretti Accountability and Qualified Immunity Abolition Act.
On January 24, 2026, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse for the VA, was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis while attempting to protect a woman from excessive force. His death is a direct result of a system that shields its agents from consequences.
Qualified immunity allows government officials to commit gross civil rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, without facing civil liability. This must end. No government agent acting in an official capacity should have qualified immunity. I expect you to take a stand for constitutional rights and public safety by fighting to strip this protection from ICE, CBP, and all federal agents. I will be watching your voting record on this issue closely.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address/Zip Code]
Movement Resources & Links
Eyes On ICE Substack (Deep Dives & Articles): eyesonice.substack.com
Eyes On ICE Reddit (Community Organizing): r/eyesonice
The Eyes On ICE Wiki: Download the Field Manual Here (Note: insert your direct download link here)
Track ICE Legislation: GovTrack.us
Global Refuge Statement on Alex Pretti: Read the full condemnation
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Tribute: Remembering Alex Pretti
Here is the section with all the links properly embedded and the formatting cleaned up for easy copying and pasting.
Take Action: How to Inform Your Representatives
The bureaucratic machine relies on your silence. If you are angry, channel that energy into the exact places where it disrupts their comfort. Lawmakers track call volumes closely; a flood of calls regarding the Alex Pretti Act forces the issue onto their immediate legislative agenda.
Step 1: Find Your Representative and Senators
House of Representatives: Go to house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative and enter your zip code.
Senate: Go to senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm and select your state.
Step 2: The Call Script
(Keep it brief, firm, and directly on topic. You will likely speak to a staffer or leave a voicemail).
“Hello, my name is [Your Name] and I am a constituent calling from [Your Zip Code]. I am calling to demand that [Representative/Senator Name] publicly support and co-sponsor The Alex Pretti Accountability and Qualified Immunity Abolition Act. The killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis proves that we cannot allow law enforcement to operate above the law. I am asking the [Representative/Senator] to commit to ending qualified immunity not just for ICE, but for all government agents acting in an official capacity. Thank you.”
Step 3: The Email/Write-In Script
If you cannot call, send an email through their official contact form.
Subject: Co-Sponsor The Alex Pretti Accountability and Qualified Immunity Abolition Act
Dear [Representative/Senator Name],
I am writing to you as a constituent to demand your immediate public support and co-sponsorship of the proposed Alex Pretti Accountability and Qualified Immunity Abolition Act.
On January 24, 2026, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse for the VA, was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis while attempting to protect a woman from excessive force. His death is a direct result of a system that shields its agents from consequences.
Qualified immunity allows government officials to commit gross civil rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, without facing civil liability. This must end. No government agent acting in an official capacity should have qualified immunity. I expect you to take a stand for constitutional rights and public safety by fighting to strip this protection from ICE, CBP, and all federal agents. I will be watching your voting record on this issue closely.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address/Zip Code]
Movement Resources & Links
Eyes On ICE Substack (Deep Dives & Articles): eyesonice.substack.com
Eyes On ICE Reddit (Community Organizing): r/eyesonice
The Eyes On ICE Wiki: Download the Field Manual Here (Note: insert your direct download link here)
Track ICE Legislation: GovTrack.us
Global Refuge Statement on Alex Pretti: Read the full condemnation
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Tribute: Remembering Alex Pretti
Alex should be healing people right now. ICE stole from all of us on that day. Do not forget who they took.
Thank You EYES
If you follow The Existentialist Republic, they are asking us to ask our state attorneys general & governors to prosecute crimes committed by CPB at the state level, because there are no presidential pardons for state convictions. Another ask has been to encourage Minnesota to prosecute the killer of Renee Nicole Good. Just FYI. I will also contact my U.S. senators & Rep. about the Alex Pretti Act.