I want to take a moment to acknowledge another tragic loss of life at the hands of the United States Government: Alex Jeffrey Pretti. Pretti, an ICU nurse, was reportedly shot merely for filming federal ICE agents and attempting to help a woman who had been forcibly pushed to the ground during a demonstration in Minneapolis.
Pretti’s family has issued a statement denouncing the “sickening lies” spread by federal officials, including the President, who falsely claimed he was violent and resisted ICE “officers.” This follows the death of Renee Nicole Good. On Friday, Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled Good’s death a homicide at the hands of a federal ICE officer, even though Trump and other federal officials asserted that the ICE gunman, Ross, acted in self-defense.
Both Pretti and Good were tragically killed by agents funded by our tax dollars, simply for showing up in public to support their immigrant neighbors and community members.
The priorities of the GOP-led government are severely misaligned, leading to hardship for both Americans and Idahoans. The diversion of tax dollars, driven by Trump and enabled by GOP support for the so-called OBBB, is prioritizing the militarization of ICE over vital health care services and other programs that would address the affordability crisis we are all facing
According to RepresenstUs, a nonpartisan grassroots organization working to make government accountable to the people, ICE is now the largest law enforcement agency in the country.
The budget bill passed by Congress and signed by Trump on July 4, 2025, allocates an additional $170.7 billion to immigrant and border-enforcement budgets across various agencies over the next four years
Shockingly, ICE’s budget has grown into a behemoth, eclipsing the budgets of other domestic law enforcement agencies and rivaling the defense spending of major world powers.
The budget is larger than the military expenditures of all but 15 countries in the world and larger than the annual budgets of all other federal law enforcement agencies combined, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons; the U.S. Marshals Service; Drug Enforcement Agency; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Militarizing ICE: A Disgraceful Use of Funds
The GOP federal budget bill is an infuriating and disgusting measure that finances the militarization of ICE by diverting money intended for the most vulnerable, specifically Medicaid dollars and health insurance subsidies. Here in Idaho, the GOP led legislature made $450 million in tax cuts last year and now want to justify deep cuts to health programs like Medicaid that will have devastating impacts on our people with disabilities and their families, our aging population, mothers and children.
Take Action Federally!
Call your MoCs and demand they push back against the attacks on human rights.
- Sen. Mike Crapo: 202-224-6142
- Sen. Jim Risch: 202-224-2752
- Rep. Mike Simpson: 202-225-5531
- Rep. Russ Fulcher: 202-225-6611
The script from 5Calls:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].
I’m calling to urge [REP/SEN NAME] to oppose ICE’s ongoing attacks on both immigrants and citizens and hold this administration accountable for their authoritarian and unlawful tactics. I ask that [REP/SEN NAME]…
[CHOOSE 1-3 options]:
- demand full investigations into ICE’s use of deadly force against protesters and their murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, (and)
- refuse to pass any DHS appropriations bill that maintains funding for ICE, (and)
- conduct public investigations into the DOJ’s coordinated protection of ICE agents from criminal liability, (and)
- call for the impeachment of Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security.
Use the above bulleted information for additional talking points as needed.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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