EL PASO, TEXAS — Minnesota resident Alex Pretti is the latest victim of excessive use of force from federal immigration actions under the Trump administration. In addition to Pretti, Silverio Villegas González in Illinois, Isaias Sanchez Barboza in Texas, Keith Porter in California, and Renee Good in Minnesota, have been shot to death by federal agents in recent months. Deaths in ICE detention reached a 20-year high last year, and six more people have died in ICE custody just this month.
ICE raids have targeted health care facilities, schools, child care centers, food pantries, and churches bringing chaos to places of comfort, safety and community. In addition to excessive enforcement, the Administration is using regulatory changes and questionably-legal data demands to deter eligible people in immigrant families from seeking help and aid for which they qualify under federal law.
At the same time, communities are coming together to support and defend their neighbors. Mutual aid initiatives are emerging all over the country, and community organizations are stepping up to help meet basic needs for immigrant families targeted by federal agents. And government officials in communities across the country have responded by redoubling their commitment to welcoming immigrant families, bolstering health and social services, and litigating to hold the federal government accountable.
In response to the violence against communities, the Protecting Immigrant Families coalition released the following statements from members of its executive committee.
“We are inspired by the strength of communities threatened by this unchecked abuse of power. And we applaud the community and advocacy organizations that serve as a beacon of hope for immigrant families in this time of darkness. But civil society and responsible government officials cannot do it alone. Now, more than ever, civic engagement is essential to reclaim our government of, for, and by the people.” – Adriana Cadena, Executive Director, Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition.
“Public safety, public health, and civil rights are deeply interconnected. When immigration enforcement creates fear rather than safety, the consequences extend far beyond immigration policy and directly undermine public health. Fear discourages families from seeking critical care and erodes trust within communities. Over the past year, enforcement actions have disproportionately targeted people of color–often indiscriminately and regardless of citizenship status–raising serious concerns about fairness and accountability. We must reject rhetoric and practices that scapegoat immigrants and instead uphold policies grounded in dignity, compassion, and shared responsibility.” — Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Chair of the PIF Executive Committee
“This is the moment for people of good conscience to raise their voices. The Trump administration’s escalating regime of terror and violence has to stop. Immigrant communities across the country are living in fear — afraid to go to work, to take their children to school or seek medical care. People are being indiscriminately picked up off the street, torn from their families and thrown in inhumane, often deadly private for-profit detention facilities. This is not theoretical. People are literally being killed by masked federal agents in the streets of America and it’s being justified under false narratives, xenophobia and racism. Now is the time to say, enough. People must speak out and stand with immigrant families, because a government built on fear and dehumanization is not democracy, it’s tyranny.” — Masih Fouladi, Executive Director, California Immigrant Policy Center, a member of the PIF Executive Committee
“Children deserve to grow up in just and caring communities, surrounded by adults who prioritize their well-being. Yet we are living in a time when institutions charged with protecting and serving instead carry out raids that terrorize neighborhoods where innocent families live. These actions cause profound harm, particularly to children, and fracture the sense of safety that every community deserves. Still, in the midst of this violence and disruption, we find hope in witnessing the power of communities coming together, mobilizing to protect one another and meet the needs of their neighbors with courage and compassion.” — Brandy Taylor Dede, Ph.D., NCSP, State Director, Children’s Defense Fund, a member of the PIF Executive Committee
“In this dark moment in our nation’s history, I am inspired by the courage of people across our nation who are standing up against violent immigration enforcement terrorizing our communities. Now our lawmakers need to follow their example. One step is to use the budget process to advance policies that end this violence, protect our rights, and defend our democracy.” — Shelby T. Gonzales, Vice President for Immigration Policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a member of the PIF Executive Committee
“Over the past year, our communities have proven that the future of our democracy relies on our peaceful and steady resistance to the federal government’s violent attacks and kidnappings as well as with those who work every day to ensure that no child goes home to an empty house or goes to bed hungry. In just the first few weeks of 2026, ICE and CBP have caused irreparable harm to children and families, undermining the safety and well-being of entire communities. We are inspired by our partners—from the suburbs of Minnesota to the school classrooms of Chicago and throughout rural Georgia—who are delivering food and medicine to families afraid to leave their homes, providing healing spaces for our young people, and ensuring kids are safe at school bus stops and drop off routes. At this critical crossroads for our country, it is imperative that Congress and state and local leaders side with our communities and fight to protect families’ rights and their ability to live in peace and thrive while also defending the values of liberty and justice for all that our democracy strives for.” — Wendy Chun-Hoon, Executive Director, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), a member of the PIF Executive Committee
