What did the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) state about Alex Pretti’s role and employment at the Minneapolis VA?
Executive summary
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) — specifically AFGE Professional Local 3669 and national leadership — said Alex Pretti was a member of the union and an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, and characterized him as a dedicated veteran caregiver whose death was “devastating” and linked to inflammatory federal rhetoric and policies; the union demanded accountability from senior administration officials in the wake of his killing [1] [2] [3] [4]. AFGE’s statements also defended Pretti’s service to veterans, rejected portrayals of him as a violent assailant, and urged consequences for officials they said fostered a climate leading to the tragedy [5] [4] [3].
1. AFGE confirmed Pretti’s VA employment and union membership
AFGE Professional Local 3669 explicitly identified Pretti as an ICU nurse employed by the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and confirmed he was a member of that local union — a detail repeated across outlets citing the union — establishing the union’s direct relationship to him as both coworker and member [1] [2] [6].
2. AFGE described Pretti’s role and character as a caregiver to veterans
In public statements AFGE and Local 3669 portrayed Pretti as “dedicated” to caring for American veterans and described his work in the ICU as a central part of his life, noting that he treated veterans with “decency and respect” — language the union used to contrast his professional life of care with the circumstances of his death [3] [4] [5].
3. The union labeled the killing “devastating” and tied it to federal rhetoric
AFGE’s national leadership, including President Everett Kelley, called the shooting “devastating” and framed it as the predictable result of an administration that the union accused of choosing “reckless policy, inflammatory rhetoric, and manufactured crisis” over de-escalation, directly linking institutional posture to the incident [2] [3].
4. Local 3669 pushed back on official characterizations and defended Pretti’s conduct
AFGE Professional Local 3669’s statement pushed back against portrayals of Pretti as an “assassin” or domestic terrorist, saying he died “while protecting a woman and exercising his First and Second Amendment rights,” and expressing disgust at what the union called “abhorrent rhetoric” from Trump administration officials after the killing [5] [4].
5. AFGE demanded accountability from senior officials and called for resignations
Beyond condemning the shooting, AFGE’s leadership escalated its response into an explicit political demand: Everett Kelley publicly called for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s resignation (as reported) and Local 3669 demanded accountability for officials whose actions or rhetoric they said contributed to the deadly encounter [7] [4].
6. What AFGE did not claim or could not verify in its statements
AFGE’s public comments focused on Pretti’s employment, union membership, character, and the political context; the union did not (and the reporting does not show it) provide independent forensic or investigatory details about the shooting itself — such as the precise sequence of events at the scene, whether Pretti brandished a weapon, or the operational justification used by Border Patrol — matters that remain subject to official investigations and competing accounts [8] [1].
7. The union’s messaging, audience, and implicit agenda
AFGE’s framing served multiple purposes: to memorialize a union member and colleague, to protect the reputation of VA employees, and to mobilize labor and political pressure against federal immigration-enforcement leadership; critics might view those aims as driving a strongly adversarial narrative toward the administration, while supporters see the union defending a worker and demanding institutional reform [3] [4].