Minnesota protests, Alex Pretti shooting draw questions about legal rights when interacting with ICE
Minnesota protests draw legal rights questions
In the wake of the Renee Good and Alex Pretti protests, many have begun to wonder what rights the civilians have when demonstrating or interacting with ICE.
LOS ANGELES - Rallies and protests erupted in Los Angeles and in cities across the country after federal agents in Minneapolis shot and killed another person over the weekend.
The incident sparked anger and confusion over what rights people have when protesting or interacting with ICE.
"I think it’s really important for people to know their rights, but clearly there is no guarantee that the government will respect those rights," said Meredith Gallen, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Southern California.
The Department of Homeland Security says Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse and U.S. citizen shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent, was shot after agents say he approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a handgun.
Pretti’s family said in a statement, in part, that videos showed the 37-year-old "was not holding a gun when he was tackled by federal agents."
"You have a First Amendment right to record and to observe and to protest the Department of Homeland Security, and that includes ICE," Gallen said.
She says there are things to keep in mind if you are recording DHS activity.
"Consider doing so at a distance that allows you to clearly observe what DHS is doing on your phone," Gallen said. "If those agents ask you to move back, you can move back while narrating, while recording."
On the ground in Los Angeles, some community patrols are ramping up.
Immigration activist Ron Gochez with Union Del Barrio says they are being very clear with their training when it comes to monitoring ICE activity.
"We continue to train people. This Saturday, we trained over 400 new recruits to participate in the community patrols just in Los Angeles," Gochez said.
He added, "We tell people specifically what to do and what we cannot do legally. So part of what we don’t do is we don’t chase agents, we don’t physically obstruct what they’re doing. We’re there to inform the people of their rights."