Dr. Thomas K. Lew
Feb. 10, 2026, 5:05 a.m. ET
As a doctor rounding in the hospital, I see a lot of sick patients. And when things go south, and people’s lives are hanging by a thread, the first staff to react are the nurses. Especially in the intensive care unit, at a moment’s notice, the nurses will be doing CPR, giving lifesaving medicines and comforting family members. These ICU nurses just want to help others, and that is exactly what Alex Pretti was doing when he was needlessly killed by federal agents.
I did not know Alex Pretti, but having worked alongside countless nurses in and out of the ICU, I can say he must have been compassionate, selfless and warm. These are the characteristics that draw someone into such a difficult profession – one in which, when life-and-death situations arise every day, you need to face them with competence and sincerity.
As a fellow health care professional, it makes me indescribably mad that he was killed while following his instincts to protect someone. And not only that, but that those in charge – those who should be the adults holding people accountable – instead called him a violent “assassin” (a statement that our vice president still hasn’t recanted or apologized for).
That’s also why we cannot allow his death to become just another news event in the rearview mirror. This heinous tragedy needs to be a catalyst for change to ensure immigration enforcement is done with safety rails and, quite simply, with humanity.
We owe it to Alex Pretti to keep fighting
We’ve all seen the videos by now. Pretti was coming to the aid of a woman being pushed to the ground. He was not a threat in any way. He did not have his legally owned gun drawn (unlike the “protesters” at the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, who were pardoned by President Donald Trump).
This gun was even taken away before he was shot by multiple federal agents. In no way should this execution-style killing have happened in the United States, and certainly not by the country’s “law enforcement officers.”
What is perhaps equally alarming is the pattern we’ve seen of federal agents failing to provide any appropriate and timely medical care in the aftermath of both Pretti and Renee Good’s shootings. We’ve also seen little medical aid being provided in the moments of violence and chaos that federal agents have incited by indiscriminately spraying tear gas, pepper spray and other projectiles.
As a doctor, I can attest that these interventions can be toxic, set off chronic medical conditions, damage health and even be lethal. We rely on law enforcement to protect, not create harm.
And we’ve all seen how the administration has lied. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said he committed domestic terrorism. FBI Director Kash Patel implied he was there to attack federal agents. Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino stated that Pretti wanted to do “maximum damage.” These are all clearly lies.
Every one of these liars should step down or be forced out. The administration has since softened its stance, but the mindset to not investigate an American’s death and automatically gaslight the public should be disqualifying. Congress, especially the Republican Party, needs to regain its courage and exercise its oversight ability over an agency (and administration) that has become reckless.
The current opposition plan might not be enough; real oversight and accountability need to occur.
Alex Pretti needlessly died, but he died doing what he was trained to do as a nurse serving veterans every day in the hospital: aiding the vulnerable. He was a hero. The members of Congress, and we, the citizens who vote for them, need to ensure no more heroes are unnecessarily killed.
Dr. Thomas K. Lew is an assistant clinical professor of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and an attending physician of Hospital Medicine at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley. All expressed opinions are his own. Follow him on X: @ThomasLewMD
