By: Hal C Clarke

As NY Post reported, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Saturday called on Senate Democrats to block funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old protestor in Minneapolis.

Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the so-called “Squad,” criticized ICE in a series of posts on X, claiming Americans are “being killed in the street by their government.” According to NY Post reporting, she warned that the U.S. Constitution is “being shredded” and urged Senate Democrats to act immediately. She also called for the activation of the National Guard in response to what she described as an escalating threat from federal authorities.

The shooting involved Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, a U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital. NY Post reported that federal authorities said Pretti was armed when a U.S. Border Patrol agent attempted to arrest a criminal migrant during an enforcement operation. Pretti allegedly brandished a weapon, prompting the fatal response from law enforcement.

“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino told the NY Post, describing the incident as a deliberate threat to federal personnel.

Pretti’s death marked the third fatal encounter involving federal agents in Minneapolis this month, NY Post reported. Earlier incidents included the high-profile shooting of Renee Good, which has already sparked widespread protests in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and intensified scrutiny on federal law enforcement practices in the city.

Ocasio-Cortez’s call for Senate action and abolition of ICE was echoed by other progressive figures, including NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who condemned the agency as terrorizing cities nationwide. As NY Post reported, Mamdani said the latest Minneapolis shooting underscored the need for systemic reform of federal immigration enforcement and criticized what he described as the agency’s unchecked use of force.

The congresswoman’s statements have drawn sharp criticism from law enforcement and Republican leaders. NY Post reported that opponents called her comments inflammatory, accusing her of politicizing a dangerous situation in which federal officers were attempting to prevent a potential violent attack. Critics argued that her calls to defund ICE could undermine national security and put officers at greater risk.

Protests erupted in Minneapolis over the weekend following Pretti’s death, with demonstrators gathering outside hotels believed to be housing federal agents. According to NY Post reporting, some of these protests turned violent, with at least one officer injured during confrontations. Residents and officials expressed concern over both the ongoing protests and the repeated fatal incidents involving federal agents, highlighting tensions between local communities and federal law enforcement.

NY Post reported that authorities are investigating the circumstances of Pretti’s shooting to determine whether agency protocols were followed and to assess how the incident might have been prevented. The federal response has come under scrutiny as questions mount about the appropriate use of force in high-stakes enforcement operations.