As America suffers the fallout from federal immigration agents abusing, harassing, and killing people, the Trump administration has used the resulting chaos to issue over-the-top demands, inextricably linking violence to threats.
Over the weekend, federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse who was disarmed and subdued at the time of his killing. This execution adds to the Trump administration’s body count since President Donald Trump began his extreme anti-immigrant program.
In the wake of Pretti’s execution, Trump took to social media to issue demands, echoing the style of terrorists who tie violence to their cause.
On Sunday, Trump called on “EVERY Democrat Governor and Mayor” to “formally cooperate” with his administration and bend to his demands to turn over undocumented immigrants. Trump also demanded that local law enforcement “must agree to turn over all Illegal Aliens arrested by Local Police” and “assist Federal Law Enforcement in apprehending and detaining Illegal Aliens.”
Trump also said Congress must pass legislation to “END Sanctuary Cities” which he falsely described as “the root cause of all of these problems.”
A person holds a Minnesota state flag as federal immigration officers deploy tear gas on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis.
Trump’s statement falsely implies that undocumented immigrants are a major source of crime. It also makes it sound like Democratic leaders have not been complying with federal immigration law—but they have. Rather, Democrats just haven’t endorsed Trump’s racist deportation strategies.
In another post, Trump blamed Democratic leaders for federal agents shooting people, arguing that “two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos.” Of course, the federal agents who have killed people were deployed by Trump, operating to enforce his policies—not the policies of Democrats.
On Monday, Trump was apparently watching a segment on “Fox & Friends” that suggested his border czar Tom Homan be sent to Minnesota. About an hour after the Fox segment aired, Trump said Homan would go to Minnesota. Trump also claimed “Welfare Fraud” is rampant in the state and “at least partially responsible” for “violent organized protests” there.
The fraud in question has been investigated and prosecuted under state Democratic leadership, but Republicans like Trump have pretended that Democrats ignored it.
Separately, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, demanding the state turn over its voter records.
But Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon refused the request.
“The answer to Attorney General Bondi’s request is no. Her letter is an outrageous attempt to coerce Minnesota into giving the federal government private data on millions of U.S. Citizens in violation of state and federal law,” Simon said in a statement.
These requests are based on Trump’s refusal to accept that he lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden. Trump lost to Biden in Minnesota by over 233,000 votes.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been terrorizing people all over the country, from immigrant families to military veterans. People have died directly as a result of their actions. Trump and his team are making egregious demands as the population is being terrorized.
