President Trump comments on Alex Pretti shooting
President Donald Trump said people can’t “walk in with guns” as he responds to the shooting death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti.
John Leguizamo says no supporters of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are fans of his.
The Emmy-winning comedian posted a short video message on his Instagram following the political unrest over Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, and Renee Good, also 37 and a mother and poet, who were both shot and killed by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents in Minnesota this month.
“If you follow ICE, unfollow me. Don’t come to my shows and don’t watch my movies,” Leguizamo said in the Wednesday, Jan. 28, video.
As of Jan. 28, the two immigration agents who fired upon Pretti have been placed on administrative leave, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. The agents were placed on leave Saturday, the same day as the shooting, the agency said in a statement, describing the action as “standard protocol.”
On Sunday, however, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino said the agents were still working but were reassigned outside Minneapolis – comments that prompted concern, including from some Republicans.
The recent development comes as the Trump administration wrestles with fallout over the killing of Pretti, which has sparked friction in the Republican Party, criticism from gun rights groups, calls for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be fired and raised the threat of a partial government shutdown.
What has John Leguizamo said about Trump?
Leguizamo has been a loud critic of President Donald Trump, his administration and ICE.
In August, he publicly condemned “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” actor Dean Cain after he announced that he worked for ICE. In a social media post at the time, Dean encouraged his followers to join the agency, citing employee benefits such as a $50,000 signing bonus, student loan repayment and enhanced retirement benefits.
“What kind of loser volunteers to be an ICE officer?” Leguizamo said in an Aug. 8 Instagram video. “What a moron. Dean Cain, your pronouns are has/been.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Leguizamo, Constance Wu and more set for anti-ICE protest
Offline, Leguizamo, along with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Constance Wu, are collaborating with the NYC theater community to protest ICE.
The Public Theater will host “The People’s Filibuster,” a non-ticketed, live-streamed event on the steps of the venue on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Miranda, Leguizamo and Wu, among other artists, elected officials and community leaders, will “read seminal texts from the founding of our nation alongside writings and songs that articulate our shared ideals and democratic aspirations, not as history alone, but as a living call to action.”
In a statement, The Public Theater said: “We stand in solidarity with our neighbors in Minnesota and across the country who are angry and grieving, protesting state-sanctioned violence and abuses of power, and organizing for the safety, dignity, and human rights of all.”
What happened to Alex Pretti and Renee Good?
Pretti was fatally shot during a confrontation with federal agents who were conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on Jan. 24. Earlier this month, on Jan. 7, Good was fatally shot by federal agents in the same city where Trump commenced what he’s called the “largest immigration enforcement operation ever.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who’s accused Pretti of being a domestic terrorist, has said that Border Patrol officers acted in self-defense during protests against ongoing immigration enforcement operations. The agency has claimed that in the fatal incident, Pretti allegedly approached officers while armed with a handgun, “reacted violently,” Noem said, and intended to kill law enforcement.
Videos of the shooting, which spread widely and sparked outrage, did not show Pretti — who had a permit to carry a gun — wielding a weapon, and he was seen holding his phone up toward agents. A witness said in a sworn declaration that he “did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind.”
In a Jan. 26 press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Pretti’s shooting was under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI as CBP conducts its “own internal review.”
“Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets,” she said. “Let’s be clear about the circumstances which led to that moment on Saturday. This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota.”
Minneapolis is among several major U.S. cities to which the Trump administration has sent a surge of ICE and Border Patrol employees. Protesters have argued that these surges are a violation of constitutional rights, while government officials say protesters are interfering with officers’ efforts to enforce the nation’s immigration laws.
Contributing: Chris Jordan, Brendan Morrow, Pamela Avila, KiMi Robinson and USA TODAY staff
