Residents gather at a frozen memorial to honour a nurse killed by federal agents, the second such death in weeks amid a controversial immigration crackdown.
MINNEAPOLIS: A frozen makeshift memorial became a site of grief and defiance on Sunday.
Local residents gathered to honour Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse fatally shot by federal agents the previous day.
“I’m angry and I’m sad for this loss,” a resident named Lucy told AFP at the site on Nicollet Avenue.
She vowed to continue fighting for what is right, even if it put her safety at risk.
Pretti’s death occurred less than three weeks after another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good, was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent nearby.
The area remained cordoned off with yellow tape as mourners knelt on the icy ground in temperatures as low as -20°C.
“If we were to leave and not stand as Alex did, as Renee did, just because things got scary, then that would not be right,” said Lucy, her voice shaking.
The memorial was decorated with flowers, candles, and signs bearing slogans like “Stop killing us” and “Enough is enough. ICE out.”
“I’m here on behalf of the Jewish community of Minnesota, and we are absolutely standing in solidarity against these ICE actions,” said a resident named Elizabeth.
The shootings follow the deployment of thousands of federal agents to Minneapolis.
The operation is part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, focused on the city’s large Somali community.
“It’s been an outrage what our president has said about them and the demonization of beautiful, civil, hardworking people,” Elizabeth added.
Another mourner, Andy, stressed the critical need for community solidarity in the face of the crackdown.
“If they come for you, and they come for them, and you don’t show up, there’s nobody there to come for you,” he told AFP.
