This week, another protester died at the hands of ICE/Border Patrol agents. Alex Pretti, who appears to have been a bystander watching and recording federal agents on his phone near the sidewalk of their activities, was repeatedly shot and killed by federal agents on Saturday, January 24, 2026. At first, the federal officials at DHS said that Pretti charged the agents, implied he had his gun drawn, threatening the agents, and this was the reason for their use of lethal force. Later videos never show Pretti with gun in hand, but rather several agents assaulting him, and tackling him to the ground, where one officer grabbed the gun (which appears to have then been negligently discharged by the agent), leading to another officer drawing his weapon and firing three rounds into Pretti’s back in the midst of the confusion.
Just a week ago, a mob of anti-ICE protesters suddenly, and aggressively stormed into a Cities Church in St. Paul, MN shouting, cursing, frightening, and disrupting an otherwise peaceful worship gathering. Their reason: the church website showed a pastoral staff member who apparently also serves as an ICE Field Director in the greater Twin Cities area. I personally defended the church’s right to worship without their First Amendment rights being violated, families and children frightened, and otherwise being trespassed by a crowd not there to participate in the church’s service.
Renee Good, who used her vehicle to obstruct ICE agents in Minneapolis, was killed by the federal agents after presumably trying to escape them, possibly striking one agent with the vehicle, leading him to draw his weapon and fire on her.
On one hand, many of the reports from DHS have come out bragging that the work ICE is doing – or trying to do – is primarily targeting illegal immigrants who have known rap sheets, including rapists, child abusers, murderers, and other serious crimes. All of this, while still deporting far fewer immigrants (to date) than was done under the Obama administration.
On the other hand, there have been countless reports of citizens watching or recording – or even just minding their own business – who were then confronted by ICE, treated brutally, and often even arrested, only to be released later – sometimes days later. This has included demands for paper documents to prove legal residency/citizenship, or accusing citizens of following the agents, only to realize they were headed to the same neighborhood, because the civilians lived in the same neighborhood as where the ICE agents were driving to conduct a raid.
As a pastor, I want to advise my fellow citizens – particularly Christians – on how we should view the current climate and tension between our federal law enforcement and many of our outraged neighbors…
- We do not behave like the world. “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14). I understand the frustrations of the protesters who stormed into Cities Church. But if your protest creates more victims, or unnecessary fear and trauma for innocent bystanders, you’re wrong. Period. Jesus is our peace in the midst of a chaotic culture, and we keep our eyes on Him, not the news or our social media feed.
- We honor rightful government forces. “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” (Romans 13:1). Whether we like it or not, ICE and Border Patrol are federal agents of law enforcement. Their task is to maintain laws passed by our own US Congress – many of which have not been enforced until recently, creating a confusing and chaotic shift from “the norm.” Submitting to the governing authorities does not mean that government agents are justified in all that they do. Nor does it mean that we should not protest brutality, injustice, and inhumane treatment.
- We recognize media bias. “He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him.” (Proverbs 18:13). It’s called a social media “feed” for a reason. Every minute of every day, you are given a steady diet of what the algorithm thinks you want to keep consuming. And all of the politicians have a powerful motive to lie to you – including the very same ones you vote for. Recognizing you’re in an echo chamber that wants you outraged or supporting insanity is the first step to escaping the matrix of media that controls the masses.
- We stand up for the oppressed. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed: to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus’ very own self-proclaimed mission statement shows His heart for the hurting, wandering, oppressed, and disadvantaged. Romans 13 warns us that the governing authorities “bear not the sword in vain.” Yet when these same governing authorities treat average, innocent people poorly, we should call it what it is: injustice. Yes “protesters” who are actually interfering with legitimate law enforcement agents need to stop, but people standing off to the side and out of the way are only exercising their rights as citizens, and holding government agents accountable. Additionally, churches should feed people, regardless of race, nationality, or immigration status. We should serve the poor, empower the downtrodden, and even love our enemies.
- We continue to pray and proclaim Jesus. “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.’” (Matthew 9:36-38). Even as Jesus was healing vast multitudes, His heart was moved for the people who had not yet received or responded to His message. Ours should be too. While changes in government policies and procedures would be good, nothing transforms a life like the Gospel. So let us live the Gospel, proclaim the Gospel, and pray for a Gospel to take root in our governing principles and everyday fellow citizens.
In addition to what the Bible says, I would also like to share my honest, humble opinion on the current state of affairs. So here’s my otherwise unsolicited hot takes:
- I completely support the 2nd Amendment. If Kyle Rittenhouse can open-carry an AR15 to a protest, and use it in self-defense (all of which was deemed legal), then Alex Pretti should certainly not be killed in the streets, standing off to the side, just because he possessed a concealed carry firearm (also perfectly legal). The 2nd Amendment is not just for a particular political party, and as such, equal treatment under the law was not given to Pretti.
- A more just DHS. While I support the principle of the mission of ICE, they are in desperate need of reform, particularly regarding de-escalation training – something all law enforcement is supposed to be required to train in. They could also use better PR, to help relate to citizens, and what they should be trying to do as humanely as possible. Civil public engagement would be far better than… whatever this strategy is called.
- Many “illegal immigrants” should stay. I would happily support Obama-era policies that were never fully implemented. These proposed policies were intended for many undocumented immigrants who are, yes, here illegally, but otherwise have committed no crimes, to have a viable path to legal status. I particularly love my diverse community with culture, history, cuisine, hopes, families, and often sincere faith in the same Savior as me. I also want them to live free from fear, many of who were born here to “illegal immigrants” but have only ever known America as their home.
- Protest without interference. Many (but certainly not all) of the tragic incidents we’ve witnessed were perfectly avoidable if protesters had not interjected themselves in otherwise lawful operations. For example: despite the appearance by the news, there are far more arrests by ICE and border patrol in TX, not MN. But you seldom hear of these kinds of incidents happening in the Lone Star State. That’s because the local law enforcement and citizens cooperate with the lawful operations of DHS agents. To be clear, I see the injustices ICE is committing, also! And that should be protested. But injecting yourself into their lawful duties makes everyone less safe.
- All law enforcement should be clearly identifiable. I know ICE agents are getting a lot of hate, violence, and death threats. This past week, we saw them even being targeted in their own church. I wish it wasn’t so. But then again, there’s a lot about these circumstances I wish were different. I want to believe that many ICE agents are good citizens and public servants, trying to enforce the immigration laws of this country justly, compassionately, and as humanely as possible. And if that’s fair, they do not deserve the public anger they are receiving. Regardless… citizens and law-abiding residents of this country should not be fearful of unmarked civilian-looking vehicles stopping next to them, with a handful of men wearing masks, with no visible badge/ID number to “arrest” someone. We should be able to see our government agents’ faces and badge credentials. This is what gives the Gestapo feeling to their activities.
- The current division is too broad. You can love the immigrant and foreigner, while also supporting law and order. You can support law enforcement without being a Nazi. You can protest without being a rioter. You can appeal for unity in our American history, culture, and identity without assuming that unity has to be monochromatic. You can criticize the current administration without being “woke”. You can also support various things from the current administration without being a “MAGA Nazi”. It’s called critical thinking…
For all of our many flaws, and often painful past as a nation, there really is no place in the world like America. We are the first real country that was not predicated on ethnocentric identity. Great Britain is/was British. France was French. Kenya has Kenyans. China is composed of Chinese people. But America was built by immigrants and traveling colonizers from all over the world. Yes, many were brought here as slaves – a disgrace we inherited from more than a century as British colonies, and one we tolerated until finally correcting in under the next century. We would go on to make many other mistakes, from internment camps, to the Tulsa Wall Street Massacre, redlining, Jim Crow laws, and the sexual revolution, where abortion became “healthcare” and “free love” (i.e., unstrained sexual expression) became an excuse for rampant promiscuity, and the beginning of the deterioration of the nuclear family unit.
But we also led the Industrial Revolution, experienced many national revivals, and deployed the largest number of foreign missionaries of any country in the world. We built hospitals, orphanages, and institutions of higher learning. We defended allies and continued to weave other immigrants into the tapestry of American fabric. We maintained a Constitution, whose principles need to be re-asserted rather than reformed. I have been all over the world, and I have a deep love for so many countries and cultures. But America is my country. And I pray for my nation, in this time of chaos and unrest, that we would have justice served in all areas, that the citizens and residents of our nation would feel safe with their governing authorities, that our governing authorities would act justly and mercifully where appropriate, and ultimately, that our nation would turn to Christ.
I hope you’ll join with me in that prayer.
Blessings,
Pastor John