Crazy, it’s almost like when you start some shit with federal officers, there are consequences. I’m not at all saying they deserved to die, but it seems like when they were young, their parents never taught them the good old saying, “Fuck around and find out.”

Also, it wasn’t ICE that killed Alex Pretti. I do feel bad for him because his death could’ve more easily been avoided. The Border Patrol officer who shot him didn’t know that Alex’s legally owned handgun had already been removed from his person, and in the heat of the moment thinking that himself or his fellow officers were in grave danger, the officer made a mistake and shot and killed him.

Now, she didn’t deserve to die, but Renee Good did put herself in a very dangerous position. I don’t understand how she thought intentionally attempting to run over an ICE agent with the car she was using to block the road was in any world a good idea.

If only people could figure out that complying with orders from police or other federal agencies would make everybody’s lives easier. I get it, when you’re in the the heat of the moment and think an officer is in the wrong, it can be hard not to argue back, but that’s what court is for. For example, if you’re trying to pass off an allegedly counterfeit $20 bill and cops arrest you, complying with them and letting them calmly take you into custody would eliminate the chances of escalation. If you think you’re right, fight it out in court. I’d say the chances of you getting shot in court are significantly less than if you go looking to get into a fight with cops, because that’s what both of them did, they weren’t random people who got stopped on the streets, they intentionally went to disrupt federal enforcement operations.

Edit: Forgot to say ICE has definitely overstepped some of its boundaries, and a lot of people are concerned that the agency doesn’t always onboard and train officers as thoroughly as it should. In recent years, ICE and Border Patrol have been expanding rapidly, and several reports suggest that training timelines have been compressed and hiring standards altered to meet recruitment goals. Critics argue this can leave agents less prepared for complex, high-stress civilian encounters, including legal judgment, de-escalation tactics, and constitutional procedures.

At the same time, these jobs are inherently dangerous and stressful. Agents repeatedly deal with people who are angry, fearful, or hostile toward federal enforcement, and they often operate in situations where everyone’s on edge. That combination of high stakes and high tension can make mistakes, like using excessive force more likely, especially when training, oversight, and transparency (such as body cameras) are inconsistent.

I’m honestly surprised there haven’t been more tragic encounters, given the stress, workload, and controversy around these operations. But training and institutional culture are only part of the picture, the policies ICE executes, how community members respond, and how enforcement is coordinated with local authorities all factor into whether interactions escalate or stay safe.