On January 28, 2026, the Sikh Coalition and more than 40 partner organizations sent the bellow letter to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon uring DOJ CRT to investigate the recent killings of American citizens by federal immigration officers, and to more broadly work to ensure some sort of oversight of immigration enforcement activities in the United States. Read the full letter below.
January 28, 2026
The Honorable Harmeet Dhillon
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Office of the Assistant Attorney General, Main
Washington DC 20530
Dear Ms. Dhillon:
We, the undersigned civil rights and community-based organizations, are writing to you with urgent concerns about the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s (DOJ CRT) complete inaction in response to multiple fatal shootings carried out by federal immigration agents. This includes:
- The December 31 killing of Keith Porter Jr. by an off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Los Angeles, California;
- The January 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and now
- The January 24 killing of Alex Pretti by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent, also in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
According to reporting by TIME Magazine published after Ms. Good’s death, federal immigration agents have discharged weapons 16 times since the beginning of the second Trump Administration. Among those discharges, 13 of those instances involved agents shooting at or into civilian vehicles, at least 8 people were hit with gunfire, and 2 are confirmed dead. As alarming as these numbers are, however, they are already out of date in light of Mr. Pretti’s killing this weekend. Nor is the violence of the current immigration enforcement regime limited to agents’ actions in the street: More people died in ICE custody in 2025 than any year in the past two decades, and at least five individuals have already died in custody this calendar year—including a recent case at a Texas detention center where there is an open question as to a detainee’s death being suicide or homicide.
We are all aware that there appears to be little to no interest in oversight of ICE from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DOJ CRT, however, has historically conducted investigations into officer-involved shootings across the United States—but in the aftermath of Ms. Good’s killing, officials indicated that DOJ CRT’s criminal division will not be conducting an investigation. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance claimed at a press conference on January 8 that ICE agents are “protected by absolute immunity”—a status that both you and we know does not exist under federal or state law. Unfortunately, in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Pretti’s killing, leading figures in the Administration including Secretary Noem and Stephen Miller appear to be following the same tack they did in the aftermath of Ms. Good’s killing. This includes issuing false statements easily disproven by video evidence, as well as smearing the deceased with flagrantly offensive labels like “domestic terrorist” without providing any evidence to substantiate their allegations. While Mr. Porter’s killing received far less coverage than the other two incidents, it certainly warrants an investigation given DHS’ recent behavior, the lack of video evidence, and disturbing flags regarding his killer’s potential bias and abusive behavior raised in court filings.
DOJ CRT is an essential institution of our government, created to stand for the rights of all Americans. In this critical moment for our country, we call on you to assert your independence, your responsibility, and your integrity. DOJ CRT must open investigations into the shootings of Mr. Porter, Ms. Good, and Mr. Pretti, specifically with a focus on the conduct of the federal agents who killed each of them. These investigations must be conducted independently, with transparency, and in close coordination with state and local authorities in Minnesota and California, respectively. More broadly, we also urge you and your department to act with courage and move to exercise your oversight authority with respect to the broader conduct of federal immigration enforcement throughout our nation.
As we—along with millions of Americans of all backgrounds—grow increasingly sickened by, fearful of, and enraged by federal immigration agents’ actions and lack of accountability, we eagerly await your response.
Respectfully,
The Sikh Coalition
AAPI New Jersey
Alliance of Baptists
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL)
Asian American Advocacy Fund
Asian American Liberation Network
Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)
Asian Law Alliance
Asian Law Caucus
Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE)
Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network, Massachusetts
Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Coalition for Asian American Children and Families
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)
Ensaaf
Faiths for Safe Water
Freedom From Religion Foundation
Future of Us
Hindus for Human Rights
Interfaith Alliance
Islamophobia Studies Center
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Live Oak United Church of Christ
Muslim Civic Coalition
National Association of Social Workers
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans
OPAWL – Building AAPI Feminist Leadership
Orange County Equality Coalition
Prevention at the Intersections
The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD)
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Rising Voices
SAAVETX EF
Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus
Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)
South Asian Network
Stop AAPI Hate
UMC Council of Bishops
Umeed-Hope
Unitarian Universalist Association