Dear Editor:

The murder of Alex Pretti was heartbreaking, but as a parent, what was just as disturbing was the subsequent character assassination. 

Instead of correctly portraying Pretti as a caring person coming to the aid of a woman who was violently thrown to the ground by an ICE agent, he was characterized by the government as a “domestic terrorist” who intended to massacre law enforcement.

However, after video footage conclusively contradicted that representation of Pretti, Republicans started to criticize Trump and ICE, and the President has now reversed course in Minnesota.

But what if there had been no video footage to contradict the government’s version? Do you think that Republicans would have stood up to Trump and that Trump would have begun reversing course in Minnesota? Given that Trump and his administration lie to us on a regular basis, I don’t think he would have backtracked in any way.

And that’s the real tragedy. In the name of a political agenda, Trump deployed ICE to Minnesota, and even if what ICE agents do is unambiguously wrong, the government will defend the perpetrators, even if it means destroying the reputation of a person like Alex Pretti. 

But it is not just Pretti whom our government would destroy. Imagine what it must feel like for parents to see their child assassinated twice: first by being shot with ten bullets while on the ground and unarmed, and second by having his character maligned in order to defend the perpetrators and the government. 

Trump does not care about all American citizens. He cares about his power and ideology, and if anyone gets in his way, he will use all means possible to destroy them and even their families.

Michael Lackey

Morris