Democratic governors vow accountability after Alex Pretti killing
On Jan. 29, 2026, the day after Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York vowed to hold Trump administration officials who were involved responsible — once they leave office. Democratic governors and state lawmakers have moved to position their jurisdictions as vehicles for accountability, and nine progressive prosecutors from cities around the country formed a coalition to assist in prosecuting federal law enforcement officers who violate state laws.
But the chin-out rhetoric, the article says, may be more political than practicable. Legal obstacles are significant: state-level actions in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona seeking to hold Mr. Trump and his supporters to account stalled or fizzled, courts have long given primacy to the federal government in immigration enforcement, and agents enjoy limited immunity.
"They are responding to what people are demanding," Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, said of the governors. A White House spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, said, "ICE officers are facing a 1,300 percent increase in assaults," a figure the article notes some media outlets and a few Democrats have questioned.
Some governors have taken concrete steps. Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois signed a measure making it easier for state residents to sue immigration agents; the Department of Justice sued Illinois in December, arguing the law placed agents in danger and at financial risk. Mr.
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