Thousands of New Yorkers Gather Outside VA Hospital Here for Alex Pretti Vigil
Nurses, union members, and supporters gathered outside the Manhattan VA Hospital for a candlelight hospital to honor and mourn ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who worked at a Minneapolis VA Hospital.
| 30 Jan 2026 | 05:32
Public advocate Jumaane Williams speaks at a frigid candlelight vigil for Alex Pretti and Renee Good outside the VA Hospital on E. 23rd St. on Jan. 29. Community activist Kevin O’Keefe is seen to his left holding candle. (
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Over a thousand New Yorkers gathered on Thursday evening, Jan. 28th, for a candlelight vigil outside the Veterans Affairs Hospital honoring the life of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.
The event, held outside the VA hospital on East 23rd street, drew an estimated crowd of 1,000 to 2,000 people. A large contingent of the group was made up of nurses, healthcare workers, and union members. Despite freezing temperatures, attendees bundled together with candles lit and signs reading “Justice for Alex Pretti”.
Pretti was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center. On Jan. 26th the nurse was fatally shot in an encounter with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents amid an immigration enforcement operation. According to reports and videos, Pretti was assisting a fallen woman protestor who had been shoved by the agents when he himself was wrestled to the ground by a half dozen agents. He had a licensed handgun in his waistband which was never upholstered. Videos appeared to show the gun had been confiscated by one agent when another agent, apparently not realizing that the gun was no longer in possession of Pretti, opened fire. Two agents were said to have fired at least ten shots. One agent could be seen firing shots 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 as he was backing away with a motionless Pretti lying face up on the ground. The other ring of agents moved away from Pretti after the initial shots were fired.
The incident sparked nationwide outrage, protests, and concern towards accountability.
The vigil was organized in solidarity with the current nurses strike against three hospitals in New York. Fellow nurses, veterans, and community members shared their grief and solidarity through speeches and testimonies.
Michael Matos, founder and president of Five Borough Veterans, commemorated Pretti at the vigil by stating “in his last moments, he chose to put himself in harms way at the defense of another, in our community, that is one of the most honorable things one can do in their life.”
Pretti’s death occurred only a couple weeks after ICE fatally shot Renee Nicole, a 37 year old mom of three as she was attempting to flee in a confrontation with several ICE agents.
The Administration labeled both victims “domestic terrorists” who were interfering with ICE operations.
But critics said the two shootings highlight what many believe to be a violent pattern during the current immigration crackdown. This has fueled similar memorials and vigils across the country from Minneapolis to Washington D.C., and beyond.
While protests and memorials continue throughout the city, Department of Homeland Security state they are continuing to look into the incident. The two agents who fired at least ten bullets into Pretti have reportedly been sidelined, but there have not been released and federal investigators are blocking state and local police from having any involvement in the case. That has fueled concerns that thorough investigations will not happen in either case.