MEDIA ADVISORY: Healthcare Workers Hold Candlelight Vigil In Eugene To Honor Alex Pretti And Hold ICE Accountable (Photo) - 01/27/26
FOR MEDIA PLANNING PURPOSES
(EUGENE, Ore.) - Healthcare Workers Hold Candlelight Vigil in Eugene to Honor Alex Pretti and Hold ICE Accountable
Healthcare Workers Against ICE: Honoring Alex Pretti
Candlelight Vigil
Tuesday, Jan. 27
5 p.m.
Public areas in front of the Eugene Federal Building
Near the intersection of E. Seventh Ave. and Pearl St. in Eugene, OR
WHAT: Local nurses and healthcare workers, elected officials, and community advocates will hold a candlelight vigil to honor Alex Pretti and all those killed and harmed by federal officers. Alex Pretti was an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital who was shot and killed by federal border patrol agents Saturday while observing immigration enforcement activities and attempting to aid a woman federal agents shoved to the ground.
WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 5 p.m.
WHERE: Public areas in front of the Eugene Federal Building in downtown Eugene, OR
Near the intersection of E. Seventh Ave. and Pearl St.
WHO: Nurses, doctors and healthcare workers from local hospitals and clinics, elected leaders and community advocates.
Planned Speakers:
- Chris Rompala, RN, ONA board member and executive committee chair at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart
- Eliza Rotterman, RN, ICU nurse at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart
- Representatives from the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP)
- Lisa Fragala, Oregon state representative
- Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudsen
- Kori Rodley, Springfield city councilor
Speaker lineup is subject to change.
WHY: Nurses and healthcare workers will not standby while human rights violations continue. We will honor Alex’s legacy by continuing to standup against injustice and hold ICE, border patrol and similar federal agencies accountable to ensure justice for our colleagues, patients and communities.
“A nurse's job is to care for their patients—but they are also ethically bound to speak out in the face of injustice and human rights violations. Provision 8.2 of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses is clear: 'Where there are human rights violations, nurses ought to and must stand up for those rights and demand accountability.' That is exactly what Alex was doing … The Oregon Nurses Association stands in unequivocal solidarity with immigrant communities, with nurses, and with all frontline healthcare professionals across the country who are demanding accountability, and an independent investigation. Federal enforcement tactics that endanger lives and traumatize communities have no place in a just society. We call on all major healthcare systems in Oregon to stand up for nurses, publicly denounce this killing, and to hold ICE and similar federal agents accountable in healthcare settings. A nurse who spent his life caring for veterans was killed by his own government for speaking out. He deserves justice.” - Oregon Nurses Association Statement on Jan. 24
Local elected leaders have also responded and are rallying in support of immigrant communities and healthcare workers.
“We are heartbroken. We are angry. We are afraid. We are in solidarity in all this and more with our sisters and brothers in Minnesota and with all the helpers and healers across this nation who are aching with grief and who will still turn to someone in need; someone who needs their care--and wrap their wounds, soothe their pain, and serve with compassion and grace,” said Springfield City Councilor Kori Rodley.
“Alex Jeffrey Pretti was a an intensive care nurse at a VA hospital who dedicated his life to caring for military veterans and their families. This week, a life devoted to healing and justice was cut short by the actions of federal agents. My condolences go out to Alex's family, his community and the people of Minneapolis, said State Representative Lisa Fragala. “These acts of violence and aggression need to stop and I call on the federal government to end the occupation of Minneapolis and of all cities across our nation.”
Together, we can demand accountability for ICE, border patrol and similar federal agencies and protect our colleagues, patients and communities.
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