politics
January 26, 2026
ICE Is Failing the Legitimacy Test
Carrying a concealed handgun in public is now commonplace in much of the country. For many, this is not only a prudent act of personal safety, but an expression of liberty and a bulwark against government overreach. At the same time, America's law-enforcement officers insist they must exercise vigilance while patrolling dangerous streets. When officers make a split-second decision to shoot someone who is carrying a gun, many political leaders, especially on the right, believe they need to be given deference because their lives were at risk.
TL;DR
- Alex Pretti, a nurse with a permit to carry a concealed handgun, was shot and killed by ICE agents at a protest in Minneapolis.
- Pretti was pepper-sprayed and restrained before agents noticed his holstered gun and shot him, despite him never reaching for it and having been disarmed.
- The incident raises concerns about ICE's training, which is significantly shorter than other law enforcement agencies, and the pressure of apprehension quotas.
- The article criticizes the federal government's lack of transparency, its tendency to vilify victims, and its obstruction of investigations into ICE shootings.
- Another case is cited where ICE agents killed Renee Good as she attempted to drive away, with the agency quickly declaring the shooting lawful without a thorough review.
- The author argues that elected officials who support gun rights should hold federal agencies accountable when citizens are harmed while exercising those rights, or face a crisis of government legitimacy and a potential loss of the right to protest.
Continue reading the original article