Target, Best Buy CEOs demand ICE ‘deescalation’ after Alex Pretti killing: ‘We call for peace’
Major business leaders in Minnesota are calling for an "immediate deescalation of tensions" after federal immigration officers shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Saturday .
The letter, which was released on Sunday by the city's chamber of commerce on behalf of more than 60 CEOS of Minnesota-based companies, is calling for "state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions."
"The business community in Minnesota prides itself in providing leadership and solving problems to ensure a strong and vibrant state," the letter reads. "The recent challenges facing our state have created widespread disruption and tragic loss of life."
The letter includes signatures from Target's incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke, UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen J. Hemsley and Best Buy CEO Corie Barry.
While President Donald Trump is not mentioned, the letter states that representatives have been communicating with Governor Tim Walz, the White House, Vice President JD Vance and local mayors.
"We have been working for generations to build a strong and vibrant state here in Minnesota and will do so in the months and years ahead with equal and even greater commitment," the letter states. "In this difficult moment for our community, we call for peace and focused cooperation among local, state and federal leaders to achieve a swift and durable solution that enables families, businesses, our employees, and communities across Minnesota to resume our work to build a bright and prosperous future."
The letter was released a day after Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse, was shot and killed in Minneapolis by ICE agents.
The Department of Homeland Security said that he was shot after he "approached" Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, according to the Associated Press — a characterization that contradicts video footage of the event.
Officials did not specify if Pretti brandished the gun. In bystander footage that was released after the shooting, Pretti is shown with a phone in his hand, but none appear to show a visible weapon.
Family members told the media outlet that he owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Minnesota. They said they had never known him to carry it.
Pretti was a U.S. citizen, born in Illinois and had no criminal record. He's also had no interactions with law enforcement beyond a handful of traffic tickets, the Associated Press wrote.
He worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and participated in protests following the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs officer.
"He cared about people deeply, and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset," Pretti's father Michael Pretti told the media outlet. "He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests."
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