A massive union that represents some of President Donald Trump's immigration agents called on two of the administration's top officials to resign following the killing of an ICU nurse in Minneapolis over the weekend.
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 820,000 federal employees, called on Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to either resign or be fired following the death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti.
“Our demand is clear: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was responsible for carrying out the policy that led to Alex’s needless killing, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the architect of that policy, must resign immediately. If they refuse, President Trump must dismiss them," AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement.
“Public reporting has established that Mr. Miller is the driving force behind the administration’s harsh immigration agenda," he continued. "He personally directed its implementation and used high-pressure tactics to force compliance across the federal government. These were not abstract policy choices. They were imposed from the top and enforced without regard for the consequences."
Pretti, who was also an AFGE union member, was shot and killed by a swarm of immigration agents in Minneapolis on Saturday after he intervened when an agent shoved a woman to the ground. Eyewitness videos show Pretti being pepper-sprayed before agents take him to the ground.
Reports indicate Pretti was lawfully carrying a 9mm pistol during the protest. Videos show agents disarming Pretti before they fired at him.
In the aftermath, Trump administration officials smeared Pretti as a domestic terrorist and claimed he was there to inflict harm on immigration officers.
“Taken together, the actions of Miller and Noem, both before and after Alex’s killing, make clear they are unfit to serve in their current positions, or any position requiring the public trust," Everett said.
