Trump administration officials have claimed<\/a> Pretti was a \u201cwould-be assassin<\/a>\u201d who committed domestic terrorism. His friends and family \u2014 who described<\/a> Pretti to the New York Times as an outdoors lover, a mentor, and a \u201ccalm presence\u201d at work \u2014 however, have denounced what they see as a smear campaign of their loved one. President Trump over the weekend said<\/a> Democrats were to blame for the deaths of Pretti and fellow Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good, a mom and poet also killed by an ICE agent earlier this month.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter another horrifying act of deadly force by federal agents on the streets of Minneapolis, we have a responsibility to say this clearly: what\u2019s happening in Minnesota cannot be allowed to spread to other communities, including here in Orlando,\u201d Eskamani said in a statement. \u201cWhich is why we should oppose any funding of ICE and abolish this lawless agency.\u201d<\/p>\n Eskamani, a progressive, is running to become Orlando\u2019s next mayor. The killing of Pretti occurred just one day after tens of thousands of people<\/a> flooded the streets of Minneapolis in minus 10-degree weather as part of one-day economic blackout (or \u201cgeneral strike,\u201d depending on who you ask) that was organized in protest of ICE\u2019s aggressive enforcement tactics and presence in Minnesota.<\/p>\n U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost, a fellow progressive who has the power to actually vote against funding ICE\u2019s parent agency \u2014 the Department of Homeland Security \u2014 similarly said<\/a> after the shooting that \u201cICE is lawless and should not exist.\u201d<\/p>\n ICE was first established in 2003 as part of a government reorganization after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to the Brookings Institute. <\/p>\n The agency has reportedly deported more than 540,000 people since Trump returned to the White House in January. At least 32 people also died last year<\/a> in ICE custody, according to The Guardian \u2014 the agency\u2019s deadliest year in decades.<\/p>\n Other Democrats did not call for the agency\u2019s dissolution, instead sticking to calls for holding ICE agents accountable for their actions as they work to execute Trump\u2019s plans to conduct the \u201clargest deportation operation in American history<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cICE criminals killed another American citizen. Meanwhile, the House approved a $64.4 BILLION DHS budget this week. This is unacceptable and reckless,\u201d U.S. Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL) wrote<\/a> in a post on X. \u201cThe Trump Administration must be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n A growing number of Democratic U.S. senators are reportedly vowing to oppose a funding bill for DHS this week after Pretti was killed. The proposed budget for the agency is $64.4 billion, including $10 billion for ICE. <\/p>\n According to NPR, ICE has a total $85 billion<\/a> at its disposal, however, through the passage of earlier bills. Meanwhile, seven House Democrats last week \u2014 evidently not demonstrating the same concern for ICE agents\u2019 aggressive tactics \u2014 voted alongside nearly every Republican<\/a> to approve the proposed budget for DHS. None of the seven Democrats were from Florida.<\/p>\n Florida Republicans, meanwhile, have echoed the Trump administration\u2019s messaging on Pretti\u2019s shooting and have voiced continued support for ICE. <\/p>\n \u201cAn armed seditionist attacked federal law enforcement today as they were rounding up foreign invaders in Minneapolis,\u201d Republican U.S. House Rep. Randy Fine wrote<\/a> on X. \u201cThe insurrectionist was put down. Well done. I stand with ICE as they fight these foreign invaders and their treasonous allies.\u201d<\/p>\n Pretti, a \u201chelpful, kind guy\u201d according to<\/a> one of his friends from high school, was a federal government employee \u2014 as a VA nurse \u2014 and a member of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union. Unions and labor leaders released statements mourning Pretti\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an AFGE Local 3669 member and a nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center who dedicated his life to serving American veterans, was killed during protests in Minneapolis connected to the administration\u2019s immigration actions,\u201d Everett Kelley, president of the AFGE, said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cOur union is heartbroken. An AFGE member is dead. And a family\u2019s life has been forever changed.\u201d<\/p>\n Compared to Minnesota, and other liberal cities where ICE agents have been deployed in massive numbers, Florida offers much friendlier territory for federal immigration enforcement officials. Some law enforcement heads have claimed that Florida\u2019s collaboration with the feds has actually helped prevent an influx of out-of-state ICE agents from wreaking havoc on Florida communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome of these big city mayors and policymakers are making a really bad decision when they say that under no circumstances will they allow their police officers and their city and county jails to cooperate with ICE,\u201d said<\/a> Pinellas County sheriff Bob Gualtieri last August. \u201cThey think they\u2019re doing the right thing, but they\u2019re making a very detrimental decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Under Florida law, all jail operators in the state must have what are known as 287(g) agreements with ICE, allowing ICE to temporarily detain people in local jails on federal immigration charges. The Orange County Jail has such an agreement and has booked over 5,000 people on immigration holds since last spring. <\/p>\n All 67 Florida county sheriff departments have agreements with ICE, signaling a sign of collaboration. Some city police departments, including Orlando, have also voluntarily entered into agreements with ICE, allowing officers to be trained to execute certain immigration enforcement duties.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will stand with local leaders and community partners to protect due process, uphold the Constitution, and keep our neighborhoods safe [t]hrough transparency, accountability, and lawful community-based public safety, not intimidation and violence,\u201d Eskamani said Sunday. She noted that, despite local and state agreements with ICE, local communities have seen an uptick in ICE activity in Central Florida, sparking concerns from local immigrant rights advocates.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOrlando should not become the next headline, the next tragedy, the next community traumatized by federal overreach,\u201d Eskamani said.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tUnions, community organizers, and faith leaders in Minneapolis are organizing a one-day economic shutdown on Jan. 23 in protest of violence waged by federal ICE agents.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"Rep.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Eskamani-House-photo.jpg\")
Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, debates in the House Chamber. Credit: Sarah Gray\/Florida House of Representatives<\/p>\n
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