AFGE demands resignations of Noem, Miller following member’s slaying

This story has been updated at 2:40 p.m. ET.

The nation’s largest federal employee union on Monday called for the resignations of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the two officials’ statements denigrating VA nurse Alex Pretti just hours after he was slain by a U.S. Border Patrol agent Saturday.

Trump told reporters Tuesday that Noem would remain at her post, saying, "I think she's doing a very good job."

Pretti, 37, was an intensive care unit nurse at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis before his death last weekend. Pretti had gathered with other protesters as Border Patrol was conducting what it called a targeted operation to detain an alleged undocumented immigrant. Though Pretti had a firearm, it was holstered as he approached officers holding his phone, at which point several agents tackled him to the ground and then at least one shot him 10 times.

On Monday, the leaders of both the American Federation of Government Employees and AFGE Local 3669, of which Pretti was a member, demanded that Miller and Noem resign from their posts over statements they made Saturday; Noem called Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” while Miller described him as a “would-be assassin,” claims belied by the wide array of videos capturing the encounter and subsequent killing. Those same videos appear to show that Pretti had already been disarmed when he was shot.

“Alex Pretti was a patriotic ICU nurse at a VA hospital who devoted his life to serving America’s veterans,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “That claim [that Pretti was a ‘terrorist’] was reckless, defamatory and unsupported by the facts . . . Our demand is clear: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was responsible for carrying out the policy that led to Alex’s needless killing, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the architect of that policy, must resign immediately. If they refuse, President Trump must dismiss them.”

In addition to representing VA health care workers, AFGE also has bargaining units within U.S. Border Patrol. Kelley said Noem’s efforts to reshape DHS over the last year created the conditions leading to the death of two American citizens, following the slaying of Renee Good earlier this month, and the shootings of at least 10 others since last July.

“Under her leadership, TSA workers have faced sustained attacks on collective bargaining rights and union representation,” he said. “At FEMA, her actions have weakened frontline workers, undermined labor protections, and eroded accountability within the agency that is so critical to disaster preparedness and response. Over the past year, she removed senior leaders within DHS and reshaped the agency’s command structure to ensure adherence to Mr. Miller’s aggressive immigration strategies. Those decisions escalated tensions, undermined professional judgment, and put lives at risk.”

House Democratic leaders, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., similarly called for Noem to resign Tuesday morning, and threatened to begin impeachment proceedings if she does not.

In a joint statement, AFGE Local 3669, which represents more than 1,000 workers at Minneapolis’ VA Medical Center, assailed the officials’ comments following the shooting and called for an independent “third-party” investigation into Pretti’s death. They also took issue with VA Secretary Doug Collins, who issued a statement blaming Democrats for the shooting.

“AFGE Local 3669 is disgusted by the abhorrent rhetoric of Trump administration officials following his killing,” the union wrote. “Alex was a son, a colleague, and a fellow union brother, not an ‘assassin’ or a ‘domestic terrorist.’ We are especially disappointed with VA Secretary Doug Collins, who chose to use the murder of his own employee to push partisan, political narratives.”