Statement from Assemblymember Dana Levenberg in Response to Federal Violence and Coercion in Minnesota
Ossining, NY – State Assemblymember Dana Levenberg issued the following statement today in response to the shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti and the revelation of a coercive letter from United States Attorney General Pam Bondi to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz:
"Yesterday, federal agents killed another American citizen, 37-year-old nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti, in their campaign of violence against Minnesota. Mr. Pretti was tackled while holding a smartphone and subdued by multiple agents before being pistol whipped – while restrained – and shot multiple times at close range. It is obvious from multiple videos that this was a completely unjustified use of force; Mr. Pretti posed no imminent threat to those officers, and the Department of Homeland Security is once again lying about what we can see with our own eyes. This would be reason enough for New York State to do everything in its power to limit cooperation with ICE, a debased organization that has strayed far from its original purpose.
But now we can see, through a letter sent by the Department of Justice to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, that this operation truly does not have a legitimate law enforcement purpose. Attorney General Pam Bondi has now indicated that the Trump-Vance regime would trade the surrender of Minnesotans' data, including voter registration data, for the end of this violent campaign. This request makes clear what many have begun suspecting - that these armed, masked agents are not being sent around the country to conduct immigration enforcement, but to serve as a paramilitary force establishing MAGA authoritarianism in states where citizens disagree politically with the president. First, they came for the immigrants; then, they came for citizens defending democracy and the rule of law. When will the majority in Congress speak out?
In the absence of a Congress willing to do its job, protect our residents, and uphold the constitution, New York State must use every tool at our disposal to protect ourselves. First and foremost, we need New York for All because we cannot permit federal agents to take New Yorkers from their communities without signed judicial warrants; administrative warrants signed by agents of this dishonest, lawless organization are not good enough. We need Dignity Not Detention because wecannot allow ICE to increase its foothold in New York State. We also need the MELT Act, because secret police have no place in a free country. I stand with Minnesota and everyone across the country working to ensure that American democracy does not die, and I will continue pushing for legislation that keeps New Yorkers safe and free."