😢💔 NATIONAL POET AMANDA GORMAN JUST DROPPED A TEAR-JERKING TRIBUTE: The young voice who moved the world at Biden’s inauguration has written a powerful, heartbreaking poem for mur-dered ICU nurse Alex Pretti — calling his kil-ling a “jarring betrayal” and “execution” by our own country.

Her words cut deep: “We wake with no words, just woe & wound… If we cannot find words, may we find the will.” This isn’t just poetry — it’s a cry for justice that’s leaving millions in tears.

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Renowned poet Amanda Gorman, known for her inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s 2021 ceremony, has composed a new work titled “For Alex Jeffrey Pretti,” paying tribute to the 37-year-old intensive care nurse fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent on January 24, 2026. The poem, shared on Gorman’s Instagram and widely circulated on social media, describes Pretti’s death as a “jarring betrayal” and “execution,” reflecting broader grief and anger over federal immigration enforcement actions in the city.

Gorman, the former National Youth Poet Laureate, has previously addressed similar incidents, including a poem for Renée Nicole Good, another U.S. citizen killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on January 7. In a caption accompanying the Pretti tribute, Gorman expressed horror at “the ongoing violence that ICE wages upon our community,” highlighting perceived discrimination and brutality on a large scale. The piece opens with lines evoking collective shock: “We wake with no words, just woe & wound. Our own country shooting us in the back is not just brutality; it’s jarring betrayal; not enforcement but execution.”

Excerpts shared across platforms include reflections on internal threats: “Yet our greatest threat isn’t the outsiders among us, but those among us who never look within. If we cannot find words, may we find the will; if we ever lose hope, may we never lose our humanity.” The poem concludes with calls for empathy and resistance against dehumanization, framing Pretti’s death within larger questions of compassion, humanity, and national conscience.

Pretti, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, was killed near 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue during protests against federal raids. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials maintain the agent acted in self-defense after Pretti, legally carrying a concealed 9mm handgun, resisted disarmament. DHS has described Pretti as posing an immediate threat.

Contrasting accounts from multiple bystander videos — verified by The New York Times, BBC, ABC News, CNN, and others — show Pretti holding a cellphone while filming agents and directing traffic. Footage depicts agents using pepper spray, pinning him face-down with several officers, removing his firearm, and firing at least 10 shots in under five seconds while he remained restrained. Forensic audio analysis confirmed the rapid sequence. Witnesses in sworn affidavits for an ACLU lawsuit testified Pretti was not brandishing a weapon or attacking officers and appeared to intervene on behalf of a woman shoved by agents.

Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, rejected the federal narrative as “sickening lies,” emphasizing video evidence of their son with a phone and empty hand while being assaulted. They described him as a “kindhearted soul” dedicated to veterans, family, and friends, motivated by concern over enforcement tactics. The family learned of the shooting via an Associated Press reporter, not authorities.

Gorman’s poem has resonated amid growing protests, vigils, and political responses. Democratic figures, including Rep. Seth Moulton (a Marine veteran), have condemned the incident as “murder” and “cowardly.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz criticized enforcement as an “occupation,” while nursing organizations like the American Nurses Association called for transparent investigations.

Pretti grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, active in sports, Boy Scouts, and choir. He earned a biology degree from the University of Minnesota in 2011, worked in research, then pursued nursing, joining the VA in 2014 and specializing in ICU care from 2021. Colleagues remembered his compassion, humor, and helpfulness. Dr. Dimitri Drekonja noted his constant offer of aid; Dr. Aasma Shaukat called him an “upstanding citizen.” A viral video showed Pretti saluting a deceased veteran patient with words on sacrifice for freedom.

This marked the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal agents in Minneapolis that month, intensifying scrutiny of tactics under the Trump administration. Investigations, led by Homeland Security Investigations with FBI support, include preserved body-worn camera footage not yet public. A federal judge ordered evidence preservation amid lawsuits.

Gorman’s tribute adds a cultural dimension to the tragedy, using poetry to mourn Pretti’s loss and urge reflection on empathy versus enforcement. As the case unfolds, her words continue to amplify calls for accountability and humanity in a divided national conversation.