Cardinal Tobin Calls for Action Following Minneapolis Protest Deaths
Cardinal Joseph William Tobin (age 73), Archbishop of Newark (2017), and a member of the Redemptorist order, gave a harsh critique of I.C.E.In a powerful "National Faith Call to Action" held on January 25, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark joined religious leaders to condemn recent federal violence and urge a legislative "No" to the funding of immigration enforcement agencies. The online event, hosted by the global network
Faith in Action, served as a response to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.
A Pattern of Violence in Minneapolis
The death of Pretti on January 24 marks the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month.
Alex Pretti (Jan. 24): A VA hospital nurse shot while filming an immigration operation. Initial federal claims of "self-defense" against a "domestic terrorist" were quickly challenged by bystander videos showing Pretti being subdued and beaten by agents before being shot 10 times while on his knees.
Renee Nicole Good (Jan. 7): Shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross during a protest against "Operation Metro Surge." Federal officials claim the agent acted in self-defense as she attempted to leave the scene in her vehicle.
Cardinal Tobin’s "No" to Empire
Drawing on the anti-fascist literature of Ignazio Silone, Cardinal Tobin emphasized that people of faith must have the courage to say "No" to systemic repression.
"What topples empires and what keeps dictators awake at night is the sole person who steals into the piazza in the middle of the night and scrawls on the wall, ‘No,’" Tobin stated.
The Cardinal framed this resistance through:
Mourning: Refusing to ignore the "slaughter" of protesters or the "legal kidnapping" of children like 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos.
Presence: Supporting those standing at the gates of detention centers to provide comfort and insist on legal rights.
Political Action: Specifically calling on Catholics and other people of faith to lobby Congress against the upcoming DHS appropriations bill.
Political Fallout and Spending Deadlock
The incidents have ignited a firestorm in Washington D.C., jeopardizing federal funding as the January 30 shutdown deadline approaches.
| Stakeholder | Position / Action |
| Senate Democrats | Led by Chuck Schumer, they refuse to pass DHS funding without "stronger constraints" on federal agents. |
| Senate Republicans | Generally oppose "defunding" ICE, though members like Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) have called for objective investigations. |
| The White House | Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated President Trump still has confidence in DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, despite the disputed accounts of the shooting. |
| Gun Rights Groups | Have condemned the administration’s justification for shooting Pretti based on his legal carry of a firearm. |
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