CHICAGO, IL — The American Solidarity Party (ASP) has issued a statement on the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, carving out a unique position among third parties by calling for de-escalation and advising citizens to refrain from carrying firearms at protests for safety reasons.
While mourning Pretti’s death, the party condemned what it called a “growing pattern of killings by immigration enforcement officials never properly prepared for extended urban police operations.” The ASP statement identified the violence as a “predictable result of militarized and maximally confrontational policy.”
The party specifically criticized President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, accusing them of creating “mission creep that shatters already limited trust in our government” by suggesting that the ICE presence in Minneapolis has purposes beyond immigration enforcement.
In a notable departure from the stance taken by some Libertarian affiliates, the ASP addressed the Second Amendment directly in the context of the protests on a different note.
“We have to advise that citizens should avoid the exercise of 2nd Amendment rights during protest, for the safety of all, even if unfair,” the statement read. “We want to see a de-escalation.”
The ASP also rejected what it called “accelerationist logic,” warning that escalating conflict would not benefit immigrants, citizens, or law enforcement. The party called for a “rigorous independent investigation” into the shooting and a return to the cooperation between federal, state, and local authorities that was common a decade ago.
The party warned that the current crisis of “federal crackdowns and lower government resistance” does not restore the rule of law but instead serves to “delegitimize America and lead both to anarchy and tyranny.” The ultimate solution, the ASP argued, lies in enacting the “comprehensive immigration reform long delayed and betrayed.”
Full statement as follows:
We mourn the tragic death of Alex Pretti. This growing pattern of killings by immigration enforcement officials never properly prepared for extended urban police operations is a predictable result of militarized and maximally confrontational policy, seemingly less focused on the worst of the worst as promised than on security theater. We are especially alarmed at what appears to be selective targeting, chasing headlines on investigations that should be separate. President Trump and Kristi Noem’s statements indicating ICE presence in Minneapolis has purposes other than immigration enforcement creates mission creep that shatters already limited trust in our government.
We might wish to hold off on litigating the facts of the tragic killing of Alex Pretti, but that too is hard to do when the administration pre-judges the situation as the execution of a domestic terrorist. Justice demands a rigorous independent investigation and review of policies and purpose of our immigration enforcement with a mind towards de-escalation and focused operations until such time as more circumspect and sweeping reforms can be enacted. Nonetheless at this point we have to advise that citizens should avoid the exercise of 2nd Amendment rights during protest, for the safety of all, even if unfair. We want to see a de-escalation. Further, we believe that a return to the cooperation between federal, state, and local authorities on immigration matters we saw a decade ago would be beneficial to restoring rule of law, even as we hope for comprehensive immigration reform long delayed and betrayed.
We do not believe accelerationist logic will improve the situation for anyone concerned about the impacts of mass immigration, nor for migrants of any status, Hispanic citizens, or law enforcement. It has long been rightly observed that rule of law as regarding immigration has been failed in most respects. This has escalated over the years and we are now reaching a crisis point of federal crackdowns and lower government resistance that cannot hope to restore this rule of law but only serve to delegitimize America and lead both to anarchy and tyranny.
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