Monday, February 2, 2026

Guest Opinion | Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater: The Killing of Citizens and the Erosion of Democratic Norms

The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis — coming just weeks after the killing of another U.S. citizen, Renée Good, by an ICE agent — is not merely an act of violence but part of a wider pattern that threatens the moral foundations of American civic life.

Pretti, an ICU nurse known affectionately by colleagues and family, was involved in protests against federal immigration enforcement when he was shot and killed. While the Department of Homeland Security asserts that he displayed a weapon, bystander video and accounts from family and community members raise questions about what truly happened — concerns that have fueled outrage and deep mistrust in public institutions.

Philosopher John Stuart Mill wisely wrote that “A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction.” When a government allows lethal force to be used without clear accountability, it commits a moral injury to the public it is sworn to protect. The fact that at least two U.S. citizens were killed by federal immigration agents in the same city within a short period gives urgency to demands for transparency, independent investigation, and meaningful oversight by Congress.

Jewish ethical tradition places pikuach nefesh — the preservation of human life — above almost all other commandments. The deaths of Good and Pretti — individuals known in their communities as caregivers and compassionate citizens — force all Americans to ask whether federal enforcement policies today are aligned with moral imperatives or with a political strategy that sacrifices lives for short-term objectives.

This isn’t just about incidents in one city. Protests have erupted nationwide, from Minneapolis to New York City, from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. And of course, right here in Pasadena and Los Angeles. These demonstrations are not a sign of disorder — they are a form of civic engagement. They express a fundamental principle: when civil institutions fail to uphold justice, the people must insist on accountability and reform.

The Talmud teaches about the need to protest in the face of wrongdoing and injustice.

“All who can protest against something wrong that one of their family is doing and does not, is accountable together with their family. All who can protest against something wrong that a citizen of their city is doing and does not protest is accountable together with all citizens of the city. All who can protest against something wrong that is being done in the whole world is accountable together with all citizens of the world.” (BT Shabbat 54b)

Congress must act not merely as arbiter of policy but as a protector of constitutional norms and human dignity. The legislature must demand full investigations, set clear boundaries on the use of force, and ensure that the taxpayer dollars funding federal enforcement reflect the values of a democratic society — not the impulses of unchecked executive power. If our representatives have agreed that to avoid another major government shutdown, significant changes to ICE agent tactics, and drastic reductions in funding for DHS, will take place, that is a good step. If that doesn’t happen, protests will continue. As they should in a democracy.

Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater is the CEO of Friends In Deed, located in Pasadena, CA. He also serves as the board president of NRCAT, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. The opinions expressed here are solely his own.