Days after another person was killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson condemned the killing and the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.
At a press conference on Monday, Ferguson told reporters he is preparing to respond if the federal government increases immigration operations in Washington state.
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, is the second American citizen killed this month by federal agents during an immigration operation there. The first was Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent on Jan. 7.
Pretti was detained by multiple federal immigration officers on Jan. 24. The encounter was captured on video by people nearby. Officers forced Pretti to the ground and then shot him multiple times. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has claimed Pretti was “brandishing” a weapon and “attacked” law enforcement.
Pretti, who had a permit to carry a gun, had a handgun with him, according to multiple news outlets. However, videos of the shooting show he was holding a phone during the encounter.
Ferguson called this latest shooting outrageous.
“They are killing Americans for holding a camera. ICE is, to be blunt, completely and totally out of control,” he said.
Ferguson was joined by state Attorney General Nick Brown, who said the United States is weaker because of the federal government’s operations in Minnesota.
“What we're seeing right now coming from Washington, D.C., is motivated by hate and bias, and it is guided by the whims of the president, not the facts, not the courts, and certainly not the United States Constitution,” Brown said.
Ferguson is calling on state lawmakers to bar law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings. The governor also said he is taking other steps to prepare for the possibility of the Trump administration escalating immigration operations in Washington, including meeting with leaders across the state to discuss how to keep residents safe.
Ferguson urged Washingtonians to help their neighbors and to protest if ICE ramps up its presence across the state.
“We all have a responsibility to speak out peacefully, make our voices heard," Ferguson said. “We will not allow this administration to turn our nation into an authoritarian regime. That is not our American and we will not allow this administration to change that.”
The governor also said grassroot groups will play an important role if ICE increases their presence in Washington as they have done in Minneapolis.
“If things continue to escalate, and that happens here in Washington state, we'll need to depend on those folks to partner with us on making sure the conduct of ICE agents is being recorded,” he said.
Ferguson is not currently aware of any plans by the Trump Administration to deploy a large number of immigration agents to the state. However, he said it's the job of state officials like himself to ensure “we are doing everything we can to prepare for a worst case scenario.”
