Over 150 Gather at Seattle VA Vigil Honoring Alex Pretti

More than150 people gathered for a candlelight vigil on Jan. 27 at the Seattle VA Medical Center on Beacon Hill to honor Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center who was killed by federal agents. Attendees called for accountability for federal immigration enforcement operations and sought constitutional protections against immigration actions.

The vigil drew federal workers, veterans, nurses, and community members united in grief who issued demands for change. Speakers expressed deep concern about the direction of the country and the treatment of vulnerable populations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.

Cef Decaney, a Vietnam veteran and aircraft mechanic, spoke about his personal connection to the case and his concerns about the federal government's trajectory. "Democracy is being challenged right now, the Constitution is being just pushed aside," Decaney said. "And what's going on, to me, as a person that took an oath to the Constitution, it's totally unsatisfactory. I mean, they're not abiding by the Constitution whatsoever."

Decaney, who works with a Federal Way community group, described feeling forced to carry multiple forms of identification at all times despite being a U.S. citizen and veteran. He emphasized the need for peaceful resistance, saying the movement will not resort to violence, but instead will "hold our signs, and we're gonna blow our whistles" and "do it as a community, and we're gonna stay together."

Pretti was shot and killed by two federal agents on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis in an incident captured in cellphone video and shared widely on social media. The agents who shot Pretti have been placed on leave, according to the Associated Press.

Pretti's death follows the death of Renee Good, also in Minneapolis, on Jan. 7. The deaths of Pretti and Good have led to nationwide protests and a growing call, from citizens and politicians, that the Trump administration alter, or even end, its immigration crackdown.

At the vigil on Beacon Hill, Raju Manhas, who works in rehabilitation for the VA, expressed alarm at the changing climate in America. "I came from India a long time ago, you know, for good life. Now it's a little bit scary here," Manhas said. "America is the best place. It's safe, you know? And now, terrible." She called on the president to reconsider current policies: "Whatever is happening, Mr. Trump, he should think about what he's doing."

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Sean Butterfield, a hospice nurse at Kaiser Permanente, drew a personal connection to Pretti's death. "My mom was an ICU nurse for the VA for most of her career," Butterfield said. "I know she would absolutely be out here too if she were still with us." He noted that Pretti represented the caliber of health care worker he knows and respects: "That guy could have just as well been me and half the people that I know."

Despite expressing uncertainty about the future, Butterfield found hope in community solidarity. "I see it in my coworkers, you know, I see it in some of the families I work with," he said. "I see it in the kindness that my neighbors show toward each other, and the willingness for people to stand up."

As federal workers, veterans, and health care professionals stand united against ICE operations in their community, they're demanding that constitutional protections apply equally to all, regardless of immigration status or appearance.