We watched with horror over the weekend as multiple videos revealed the cold-blooded murder of an American citizen whose only crime was bearing witness to the outrageous behavior of masked thugs. The men who shot and killed Alex Pretti were agents of our federal government sent to sow chaos in the streets of blue states and blue cities. They racially profile law-abiding men and women, even off-duty police officers. They use 5-year-old children as bait. They ignore constitutional protections. And now they have murdered two Minnesotans.

Alex Pretti and Renee Good should be alive today. Murder is never justified, particularly by federal agents sworn to protect and defend the U.S.Constitution. Their-sanctioned authority does not give them the right to act with lawless abandon. They are failing to act with common decency. They are failing to keep us safe. And they are failing to uphold the rule of law.

We stand for the rule of law and call on Congress and the Trump administration to curb the abuses being waged by the federal Department of Homeland Security and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on the citizens of the United States. The indiscriminate seizures, incarceration, deportations, and violence – including the murder of two Minnesotans – being waged by ICE agents on U.S. citizens is unlawful and cannot continue.

This must end now. We call on Congress to block Homeland Security funding until these abuses are thoroughly investigated, those responsible are prosecuted, and ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents comply with all constitutional requirements, including securing judicial warrants. Their lawless acts are a threat to all citizens. No one is above the rule of law.

 

FYI: Homeland Security “Core Values”: Perform our duties honorably and with dignity in a manner befitting the oath of office we are sworn to uphold; Serve the nation proudly and face challenges with courage and determination; Exemplify integrity by adhering to the highest ethical and moral code.

 

Signed, the Democratic Town Committees of Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, Haddam, Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook