Aidan Vanhoof

Aidan Vanhoof, Staff Writer

January 28, 2026

We can’t run from reality. 

On Saturday, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit (I.C.U.) nurse, crossed the street to film Border Patrol agents confronting peaceful protestors in Minneapolis, Minn. 

Roughly ten agents were present. An officer spotted Pretti – who was holding nothing but a phone – shoved him, and sprayed chemicals in his face, bringing him to his knees. Seconds later, he was pinned to the ground with six new agents piled atop him. One agent grabbed a holstered gun from Pretti and ran across the street. Shots rang out.

Pretti was shot ten times and killed. He was searched seconds after. He was not provided medical assistance by federal agents until minutes after the shooting. That same day, Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S.), declared the border patrol agents the true victims, claiming Pretti tried to do “maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” They used the gun taken from Pretti’s holster as proof. Video evidence contradicts this narrative. 

This comes just weeks following the shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old single mother, on Jan. 7. She, too, was labelled a domestic terrorist. Her death has since been deemed a homicide, according to Fox 9.

The killings of Good and Pretti, paired with preexisting tensions over Operation Metro Surge, an ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) operation in Minnesota, have spurred mass movements compared to those following George Floyd’s death in 2020. Worse, despite recent media attention, they aren’t alone. In 2025, another 32 people died in I.C.E. custody and hundreds more disappeared, according to The Guardian. Recently leaked D.H.S. documents appear to permit federal officers to enter homes without warrants. 

All of these indicate a pattern of authoritarian behavior. Videos depicting I.C.E. and Border Patrol firing unprovoked on protestors, reports of missing detainees, and documents condoning entry into private homes without warrants all mirror a continued disregard for the Constitution and basic human rights.

Sure, protestors interrupted federal law enforcement. But so long as they weren’t actively threatening, they were allowed to be there, per their First Amendment rights. Sure, immigrants should come here legally. But holes in the immigration system – like economic barriers, legal representation issues, and limited pathways to citizenship –  ensure that’s impossible for many. 

That’s not to mention over 1.6 million had preexisting legal status slashed by the Trump administration, according to NPR. Sometimes it’s easy to think undocumented immigrants are the only victims. That if you’re here legally, you’re safe. But, according to ProPublica, I.C.E. continues detaining and even killing legal U.S. citizens. People have been detained and immediately deported without due process. Or to countries they’ve never been to before, meaning we can’t hide behind legal status anymore. 

The current reality is a bleak one, and it can be tempting to run from it. But this issue is local. People are scared. At least, I’m scared. I.C.E. has been all across New Jersey, including my hometown of Deptford. Last semester, false reports on Instagram said I.C.E. had even made it to Rowan. 

However, to flee reality not only endangers immigrants, but also often one’s whole community. Awareness may be difficult, but it’s necessary during times like these. Most support for immigrants over the past year has come from citizen organizations and churches, not large organizations, particularly in low-income areas.

Federal agents conceal their faces, and bodycam use is minimal. While D.H.S. Secretary Kristi Noem claims investigations have been done, investigators, including those from the F.B.I., are kept from the evidence and pressured to cease, according to The Guardian.

Internal accountability measures are evidently limited, so citizen organizations have attempted to fill the void. For example, icelist.is: a public list of identified I.C.E. agents with names, faces, and any other findable information created by Crust News, a Substack-based news organization.

Combatting I.C.E. is therefore a practice in solidarity and community awareness, making complacency, i.e., covering your ears until it all goes away, unethical. Neutrality enables the Trump administration to continue unobstructed. 

This isn’t to say political centrism is necessarily the problem, or that my particular political leanings are the only solution. This isn’t to say that if news like this affects your mental health, you shouldn’t step away. And this isn’t to say we should all go out and fight federal agents in the streets or protest nonstop. 

But this is to say, actively ignoring what’s happening has a very similar effect to actively supporting it

The Trump administration lies regularly. Seeing through the lies alone constitutes a powerful form of resistance. While it may not equate to actually taking action, authoritarians rely hugely on ignorance to gain, centralize, and maintain power. That includes not only Trump himself but those working for him. 

Options include joining political organizations, like SJ Solidarity Collective and Rowan Students for Justice in Palestine. A protest at the Owl Statue is scheduled for Feb. 5. You could donate to the National Immigration Law Center or to individual GoFundMe pages. It also helps to gather like-minded people, inform others, report and respond to raids, document badge numbers and license plates, film what occurred, etc.  

However, above all else, stay safe and know your rights. Federal agents cannot enter your home without a warrant signed by a judge. You do not have to speak to them. You do not have to sign anything they give you. And you can film and photograph them in all public spaces. 

Resisting brutality doesn’t just mean fighting and harassing federal agents. It can mean simply reading the news and forming an informed opinion. It just needs to happen, and it isn’t happening enough.

For comments/questions about this story, DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email miller206@rowan.edu