In Case You Missed It

I saw this on FB.

It leads to this story at TribLive:

Harriett Flores, 38, said her husband took Lily outside and was warming up the car when he was approached by two Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents.

“The ICE agents came up to him, showed no warrant. They just shackled him,” Flores said through an interpreter. “They said he was getting arrested because he was illegal in the country.”

When she tried to ask questions, one of the agents told her to shut up because her daughter was present, Harriett Flores said.

A video Harriett Flores took of the incident shows, Jose, 47, being shuttled to an unmarked vehicle by the agents shortly after 10 a.m.

Some important context: 

Flores said her husband has no criminal record. A TribLive search of state and federal court databases showed no criminal record nor pending charges against Jose.

State Rep. Joe McAndrew, D-Penn Hills, said in a social media post Friday that Jose’s immigration status is legal. He called the incident an abduction.

Harriett Flores said she and Jose each have five-year work visas. Both are employed, making the visas valid. They also both have Real IDs, valid driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers.

And so on.

This is the social media post from State Rep McAndrew:

 Last time I checked, the Fourth Amendment: 

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. 

And the Fifth Amendment:

No person shall...be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. 

And the Fourteenth Amendment: 

...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. 

Are still the law of the land.

Perhaps our friends in ICE should read (can they read?) this posted at Congress.gov: 

ICE was established following the creation of DHS in 2003. The authority for ICE officers to arrest and detain aliens believed to have committed immigration violations derives primarily from 8 U.S.C. §§ 1226 and 1357.

Section 1226(a) provides that, upon issuance of an administrative warrant (otherwise known as an ICE warrant), an immigration officer may arrest and detain an alien pending a decision as to whether the alien is subject to removal. An ICE warrant is issued by certain immigration officials who have been authorized or delegated such authority and is exclusively for use by immigration officers who have successfully completed immigration law enforcement training. Unlike judicial warrants issued in criminal cases, ICE warrants do not require a detached and neutral magistrate; instead, ICE warrants require the officer to establish that "there is probable cause to believe" that the individual named in the warrant is subject to removal. 

What was the "probable cause to believe" that he was subject to removal? 

The man's skin tone and name are not enough. 

And Now, The Boss

Lyrics:

Through the winter's ice and cold
Down Nicollet Avenue
A city aflame fought fire and ice
'Neath an occupier's boots
King Trump's private army from the DHS
Guns belted to their coats
Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law
Or so their story goes

Against smoke and rubber bullets
In the dawn's early light
Citizens stood for justice
Their voices ringing through the night
And there were bloody footprints
Where mercy should have stood
And two dead, left to die on snow-filled streets
Alex Pretti and Renee Good

Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
We'll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
Here in our home, they killed and roamed
In the winter of '26
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis

 
Trump's federal thugs beat up on
His face and his chest
Then we heard the gunshots
And Alex Pretti lay in the snow dead
Their claim was self-defense, sir
Just don't believe your eyes
It's our blood and bones
And these whistles and phones
Against Miller and Noem's dirty lies

Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Crying through the bloody mist
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis

Now they say they're here to uphold the law
But they trample on our rights
If your skin is black or brown, my friend
You can be questioned or deported on sight
In our chants of "ICE out now"
Our city's heart and soul persists
Through broken glass and bloody tears
On the streets of Minneapolis

Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
Here in our home, they killed and roamed
In the winter of '26
We'll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis

ICE out (ICE out)
ICE out (ICE out)
ICE out (ICE out)

The names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis:

 

Renee Good
Alex Pretti 

 

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Herr Mozart!

 

Note: Peter Schickele passed away in 2024.

What Colbert Said

 

On January 24, 2026, members of Donald Trump's ICE/DHS occupying force killed Alex Pretti, a US citizen, after disarming him.

The agents involved in the shooting have been transferred out of Minneapolis and are still working for ICE/DHS - moved out of the area for their safety. 

Watch How Trump's DHS Lies About Killing Alex Pretti - US Citizen

She's head of Trump's DHS.  If she didn't know the facts, she should not speak as if she did. If she did know the facts and yet said what she said, she's lying. 

BTW, while he's seemingly calling for a full investigation into the shooting, Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick points the blame elsewhere (he also does not even bother to mention Alex Pretti's name or the manner of his death):

As I have often said, I support the Border Patrol, ICE, and the critical work they do to enforce our laws. Irresponsible rhetoric and a lack of cooperation from Minnesota’s politicians are fueling a dangerous situation.

I also agree with the NRA and others — we need a full…

— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) January 25, 2026

Donald Trump's ICE/DHS shot and killed a US citizen - a man with a permit to carry a weapon in an open carry state and who had no criminal record. 

This Happened To Alex Pretti, A US Citizen With No Criminal Record

From The New York Times:

Videos on social media that were verified by The New York Times appear to contradict the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday morning.

The Department of Homeland Security said the episode began after a man “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and they tried to disarm him. The statement did not specify whether the gun was in the man’s hands or merely on his body.

Footage shows Mr. Pretti was clearly holding a phone, not a gun, before the agents took him to the ground and shot him. 

Specifically: 

A small group of protesters stands in the street, speaking to a federal agent as whistles sound. Mr. Pretti appears to be filming the scene with his phone and directing traffic.

An agent begins shoving the demonstrators, and squirts pepper spray at their faces.

At this moment, Mr. Pretti has both hands clearly visible. One is holding his phone, while he holds the other up to protect himself from pepper spray. He moves to help one of the protesters who was sprayed, as other agents approach and pull him from behind.

Several agents tussle with Mr. Pretti before bringing him to his knees. He appears to resist as the agents grab his legs, push down on his back and strike him repeatedly.

The footage shows an agent approaching with empty hands and grabbing at Mr. Pretti as the others hold him down.

About eight seconds after he is pinned, agents yell that he has a gun, indicating that they may not have known he was armed until he was on the ground.

The same agent who approached with empty hands pulls a gun from among the group that appears to match the profile of a firearm DHS said belonged to Mr. Pretti.

The agents appear to have him under their control, with his arms pinned near his head.

As the gun emerges from the melee, another agent aims his own firearm at Mr. Pretti’s back and appears to fire one shot at close range. He then appears to continue firing at Mr. Pretti, who collapses.

A third agent unholsters a weapon. Both agents appear to fire additional shots into Mr. Pretti as he lies motionless.

In total, at least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds.

ICU nurse Alex Pretti, a US Citizen who had no criminal record was shot at least 10 times after he was disarmed and after he was beaten by Trump's ICE/DHS ground troops currently occupying a US city.

Have our two US Senators (Senator John Fetterman and Senator Dave McCormick) denounced the government's killing of Alex Pretti yet? 

Ask them if they will be making such a statement and if they won't, ask them why not. 

 

 

 

Senator McCormick Responds!

I think it's to this blog post.

I frame my criticism of recent ICE incidents in contrast to The Fourth Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. 

And I will continue to do so as the amendments are part of the constitution of the United States is the law of the land. 

In that blog post I referenced an incident where agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "bashed open a door" without a warrant - in seeming violation of The Fourth Amendment.

After reminding US Senator Dave McCormick of his oath of office, I ask if The Fourth Amendment still applies.

And this is how he responded (image of the full email response at the end of this blogpost).

He wrote:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a component of the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for enforcing the nation’s immigration laws. Within ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) identifies, arrests, and detains noncitizens who violate the Immigration and Nationality Act (P.L. 82-414). Under federal law (8 U.S.C. §§ 1226 and 1357), immigration officers have the authority to apprehend and detain individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States. 

And:

The federal government has a responsibility to enforce immigration laws. I support President Trump’s efforts to restore order at the southern border, uphold the rule of law, and protect American communities. This includes detaining and removing inadmissible individuals who pose a threat to public safety and national security. My office remains committed to ensuring that established standards and appropriate due process are upheld through careful oversight and ongoing engagement with DHS.

You'll note that there's no mention of The Fourth Amendment - a part of the constitution that the federal government also has a responsibility to respect. 

I was in the middle of writing this when I learned about this:

 

Ok, Senator - how does this fit into your office's efforts to ensure established standards and appropriate due process regarding ICE/DHS.

DHS posted this:

At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here.

The officers attempted to… pic.twitter.com/5Y50mYONGH

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 24, 2026

Explain something to me, Senator. It's obvious from the video that the soon-to-be bulletted man was already on the ground and was in the midst of taking a taking a serious beating.  Hadn't the ICE-trained officers disarmed him by the time they were beating him?

Why kill him, then?

How much more of this do you have to see before you stand up for the people of the country and for the constitution and for the rule of law, Senator?