San Diego Vigil Planned For Slain Nurse Alex Pretti

SAN DIEGO, CA — Local members of National Nurses United will hold a vigil Thursday in support of registered nurse Alex Pretti, who was killed last weekend by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Registered nurses will gather at VA Medical Center San Diego to honor Pretti and remember all who have been killed by federal immigration agents, according to National Nurses United, which represents more than 225,000 nurses across the country. Participants will demand the abolition of ICE and call on Congress to stop any further funding to the Department of Homeland Security for ICE.

Pretti, 37, was fatally shot by federal agents who were attempting to detain him after he put himself between an agent and a protester. He was a registered nurse in an ICU unit at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis.

The deadly shooting on Saturday happened just weeks after another protestor, Renee Good, 37, was shot and killed on Jan. 7 by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

"RNs have been outraged by the presence of ICE in their communities and the escalating violence that has led to the deaths of Pretti and Renee Nicole Good most recently — as well as the 32 people who died in ICE custody in 2025 and the countless families torn apart by the Trump administration's cruel policies," a news release from National Nurses United said.

"The escalation in intimidation, violence, and general lawlessness by ICE comes as the Republican Party and Trump cut nearly a trillion dollars in health care funding for Medicaid and Medicare to help finance the deportation machine."

The vigil will start at 7:30 p.m. at VA Medical Center San Diego, located at 9598 Gilman Drive.