Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) stands in solidarity with the community of Minneapolis and the family of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen and ICU nurse who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Saturday, January 24, 2026.

This murder marks the second fatal shooting involving federal immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis in less than three weeks, following the murder of Renée Nicole Good on January 7, 2026.

“This is the second murder in less than three weeks, and it is unacceptable and heartbreaking,” said Rev. Paul M. Larson, Advocacy Director with Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada. “We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms. A U.S. citizen, an ICU nurse, a neighbor, was killed on the streets of Minneapolis in broad daylight. We stand with the community demanding transparency, accountability, and justice.”

Reports from Minneapolis, along with bystander accounts and video evidence, have raised serious concerns about the use of force and the circumstances surrounding Mr. Pretti’s death. Community members, local leaders, and advocates are calling for independent investigations and full accountability.

Across the country, communities are reporting increasingly aggressive and militarized enforcement tactics that endanger immigrants, U.S. citizens, legal observers, and bystanders alike. No one should live in fear of violence.

As people of faith, Lutherans affirm the sacred worth and dignity of every person. Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada remains committed to advocating for policies rooted in dignity, safety, and justice, and to standing with communities harmed by state violence.

LEAN calls for transparency, independent investigation, and meaningful accountability to ensure that such tragedies do not continue.

esterday, following the execution of Alex Pretti, Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto announced their intention to oppose extensions of ICE funding.

This is what accountability looks like. Advocacy matters. Your voices are being heard.

Let us continue showing up, speaking out, and holding our elected officials accountable.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement on the government funding bills the Senate will consider this week:

“The Trump Administration and Kristi Noem are putting undertrained, combative federal agents on the streets with no accountability. They are oppressing Americans and are at odds with local law enforcement. This is clearly not about keeping Americans safe, it’s brutalizing U.S. citizens and law-abiding immigrants. I will not support the current Homeland Security funding bill. 

“We have bipartisan agreement on 96% of the budget. We’ve already passed six funding bills. Let’s pass the remaining five bipartisan bills and fund essential agencies while we continue to fight for a Department of Homeland Security that respects Americans’ constitutional rights and preserves federal law enforcement’s essential role to keep us safe.”  

Read Here.https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cortez-masto-statement-opposing-current-department-of-homeland-security-funding-bill/

LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released the following statement:

“The abuses of power we are seeing from ICE in Minneapolis and across the country are un-American and cannot be normalized. No one wants criminals in our country, but that’s not who this administration is going after. They’re targeting law-abiding immigrants who just want to support their families and live the American Dream. They’re going after immigrants who have asylum or other forms of legal protections to be in our country. They’re going after U.S. citizens who disagree with their tactics — and in less than a month, two of our fellow Americans in Minneapolis have been killed as a result.

“Enough is enough. We need to rein in ICE’s out of control conduct.

“As a member of the U.S. Senate, I have the responsibility to hold the Trump Administration accountable when I see abuses of power — like we are seeing from ICE right now. That is why I’ll be voting against any government funding package that contains the bill that funds this agency, until we have guardrails in place to curtail these abuses of power and ensure more accountability and transparency.

“My personal guiding principle has always been ‘agree where you can and fight where you must.’ And I believe this is a time when we must fight back.”

Read the Statement Here.

Recently, California was declared drought-free for the first time in nearly twenty-six years. But while some parts of Nevada appear in better shape on the map, Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada is deeply concerned about worsening drought conditions across our state.

Nevada is experiencing some of the lowest snowpack levels in more than forty years, as warming temperatures increasingly turn what should be winter snowfall into rain. This shift threatens the delicate balance that sustains our rivers, farms, wildlife, and communities.

Nevada’s snowpack is more than a seasonal feature, it functions as one of our most essential natural reservoirs. When snow fails to accumulate and melt gradually through spring, the water supplies that nourish our cities, irrigate crops, protect wildlife habitats, and support tribal and rural communities become strained. Water scarcity is not just an environmental challenge—it is a human one, affecting livelihoods, public health, and long-term community resilience.

As people of faith, we see this not simply as a weather anomaly, but as a moral and spiritual call to action.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America teaches in Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice that the Earth is a gift entrusted to our care, and that all life is interconnected through God’s good creation. The ELCA’s Earth’s Climate Crisis social message goes further, naming this time as a kairos moment—a decisive point in history when we are called to act boldly, faithfully, and urgently for the sake of God’s world and one another.

Grounded in these teachings, we affirm four commitments:

• Solidarity — Standing with rural, tribal, and agricultural communities who bear the earliest and greatest impacts of water loss.
• Sufficiency — Advocating that all people have enough to flourish—not only in emergency drought years, but for generations to come.
• Sustainability — Supporting policies and planning that protect the long-term health of Nevada’s watersheds, ecosystems, and communities.
• Participation — Ensuring Nevadans—including congregations—have a voice in water and climate decisions, with transparency and equity at the center.

With these values in mind, we urge Nevada’s leaders to:

• 1. Invest in long-term water resiliency, including snowpack monitoring, watershed restoration, and drought-adaptation planning.
• 2. Support climate-smart policies that reduce emissions and slow warming trends driving rain-instead-of-snow patterns.
• 3. Guarantee meaningful participation from impacted communities—especially tribes, rural counties, and agricultural regions.
• 4. Fund public education and local preparedness, ensuring Nevadans understand both the risks and the solutions.

This moment calls all of us—government, communities, faith partners, and individuals—to take shared responsibility so that Nevada’s watersheds can sustain life in the decades ahead.

As Lutherans in this state, we believe God calls us to co-create a world where all can thrive. We pray for wisdom in policymaking, courage in public leadership, and resilience among those most affected by drought and water scarcity.

We stand ready to partner with all who seek justice, sustainability, and faithful stewardship for Nevada’s sacred land, rivers, and people.