The killing of U.S. citizen and Veteran Affairs nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis hit close to home for Las Vegas nurse and union leader Linda Ward-Smith.
As president of the American Federation of Government Workers’ Local 1224 chapter in Las Vegas, she decided to rally her membership to host a vigil for Pretti—a fellow AFGE member—outside the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse on February 1. About 100 were in attendance.
“Nurses just have that compassionate spirit. We’re the ones who are always on the front lines trying to save others, and I believe that’s what [Pretti] was doing,” a teary-eyed Ward-Smith said. “He saw somebody hurt and wanted to help, and nobody should ever be killed for that.”
U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., speaks at a vigil for Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Downtown Las Vegas on February 1.
Based on video of the January 24 incident, Pretti was carrying a permitted firearm but kept it holstered as he used his cell phone to film federal immigration officers apparently shoving a woman to the ground. He was promptly restrained and disarmed by a group of federal agents before two of them shot and killed him.
Weeks earlier, agents tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement blitz in Minnesota also fatally shot U.S. citizen Renee Good. In both cases, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem initially framed Good and Pretti as “domestic terrorists.” But viral phone videos of both incidents and countless independent analyses contradicted that narrative. Nationwide protests broke out over Good’s and Pretti’s deaths, demanding “ICE out” of cities.
“We need to say, ‘no way, not today, no more.’ We need to stand up, stand strong and be bold,” Ward-Smith said. “The most important thing is we need to come together. We need to come out and vote against things that we are not okay with, because what is going on is not okay. We need to be loud and proud and fight for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
In response to public outcry—including from Republicans—and plummeting approval ratings, the Trump administration removed U.S. Border Patrol “commander-at-large” Gregory Bovino from his role as the head of the Minneapolis campaign and temporarily replaced him with Trump “border czar” Tom Homan. And in early February, Noem announced that every Homeland Security officer in Minnesota would immediately be equipped with body-worn cameras. Homan also confirmed the recall of 700 of the 3,000 federal agents deployed there since early December.
Despite those gestures, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and public school officials have raised alarm that the focus of enforcement has now shifted to schools. Federal agents have continued to maim and arrest protesters across the country. And Trump’s Justice Department is investigating Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for allegedly impeding federal immigration enforcement through their public statements.
NEVADA REACTION
In a January 28 statement that doesn’t mention Good or Pretti, Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo wrote that he was “distressed” by the events in Minnesota, adding that “protecting citizens to assemble safely and peaceably is—and must remain—a top priority.” He then praised Trump’s call for a “thorough and unbiased review of all the evidence.”
“My position on illegal immigration has been clear and consistent. I support the President’s efforts to secure the border, and I believe that we should remove violent or repeat criminals from our streets and neighborhoods as swiftly and as safely as we can,” Lombardo concluded.
According to the latest January 25 report from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University, only 26% of the 70,766 individuals detained by ICE nationwide have been convicted of crimes.
Nevada’s federal delegation also weighed in on the matter through recent votes on a budget bill required to avert a partial government shutdown. In the House, Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford, Susie Lee and Dina Titus held party lines in opposing the bill, citing a need to curtail DHS funding, while Republican Rep. Mark Amodei voted in favor.
In a January 27 statement, Amodei acknowledged that “a pivot to [Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s] core mission in Minnesota is needed.” But he also defended his vote by likening calls to defund DHS as “reckless,” adding that he believes “agitators and politicians” who interfered with immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota share an “equal responsibility” for the incidents.
After a handful of House Republicans and Democrats crossed the aisle, legislators ultimately voted 217-214 to approve a budget bill on February 3, which included a continuing resolution to temporarily extend existing DHS funding allocations through February 13 to give them more time to negotiate future funding and terms.
Along with 119 other House Democrats, Horsford has signed onto a resolution for Noem’s impeachment.
“[Noem] is derelict in her duty, and it’s time for us to have change and accountability at the top,” Horsford told the Weekly at the February 1 vigil in Las Vegas. He added that he’s heard from constituents “who are worried and fearful about their families being targeted, profiled and torn apart” by DHS and ICE.
LAS VEGAS PREPARES
Since 2025, federal immigration agents appear to have been less active in Southern Nevada than in major cities like Minneapolis, Chicago and LA. But with more than 20% of Clark County’s population being foreign-born, residents have a growing concern that the city could become the Trump administration’s next target.
Immigrant advocates have zeroed in on cooperative agreements with local law enforcement and detention centers in Pahrump and Henderson. In October, the ACLU of Nevada filed a lawsuit contesting Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s 287(g) agreement with ICE. The arrangement allows LVMPD to execute immigration warrants on people held at the Clark County Detention Center and hold them for an additional 48 hours past their release date to transfer them into ICE custody.
In recent Henderson City Council meetings, dozens of residents have used their public comment time to call for the city to terminate a longstanding agreement to hold ICE detainees at the Henderson Detention Center, where it now holds an average of 93 per day until ICE can take them into federal custody, according to TRAC.
Local nonprofits like the Nevada Immigrant Coalition, Make The Road Nevada and grassroots collectives like LV Defensa have doubled down on efforts to prepare Nevadans for the possibility of increased immigration enforcement here in 2026.
“We haven’t hit a huge stress test yet, and I pray we never have to,” says Leo Murrieta, director at Make The Road Nevada. “But we’re still seeing people being kidnapped off the streets or dropping their kids off and never being able to pick them up, and we’ve also had a number of our members self-deport because they’re scared.”
Murrieta’s team has addressed these fears by organizing “know your rights” sessions and family preparedness clinics to help clients create contingency plans addressing what would happen to their children, pets or financial obligations if they were detained.
Both groups have seen increased interest from people who want to volunteer for the cause. Those who are interested can contact the organizations through social media.
“We are at a point where everyone must prepare for the worst case scenario,” Murrieta says. “As immigrants, we know that our worst fears could manifest at any time, even tonight. And to the folks who aren’t immigrants but care about freedom and dignity, we need your help now more than ever. Now is the time to step up and do your part.”
Valley residents can utilize a handful of local resources to report or track ICE sightings in their neighborhoods. The Nevada Immigrant Coalition tracks and confirms those reports through a network that can be contacted by texting ‘JOIN’ or ‘UNETE’ to 638-232. LV Defensa also maintains a rapid-response and ICE report hotline at 702-850-1161.
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