A coalition of current and former Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees is calling on Congress to freeze funding for federal immigration enforcement operations after what they describe as the "execution" of a Veterans Affairs nurse who was protesting the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
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In a public letter released Monday, the group Save HHS said its members were “deeply shaken” by the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti — who was fatally shot on Saturday while being apprehended by federal officers.
The letter accuses the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of creating a “growing public health crisis” through acts of violence, alleging that DHS agents are "murdering, assaulting, and terrorizing people who call this country home."
The employees urged lawmakers to block this week’s must-pass appropriations bills from funding ICE and CBP unless the agencies:
- Immediately halt the invasion of American cities,
- submit to independent investigations, and
- adopt new protocols that do not violate the Constitution.
The Senate is expected to vote within days on a package combining funding for DHS, HHS, and other federal agencies. If Congress does not pass the legislation by Jan. 30, many HHS workers could face unpaid furloughs.
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Despite that risk, the letter’s authors argue ICE and CBP present “a greater threat to the health of our nation than the lapse of HHS services,” citing widespread fear among immigrant and U.S. citizen communities alike. According to the statement, families are avoiding medical care, skipping school, and going without food out of concern for deportation or assault when immigration authorities are present.
“We urge you to act in the best interest of the American people,” the letter concludes, noting that it was submitted “in our personal capacities, on our personal time, and without the use of government resources, as protected by the First Amendment.”
