University of Minnesota – Professor Removed from Alex Pretti Memorial for Wearing “ICE Out” Tunic

In early February 2026, Stephanie Arado, a music professor at the University of Minnesota, attended a memorial on campus for alumnus Alex Pretti wearing a black tunic that read “The Evil Must End Now” on the front and “ICE Out” on the back. Administrators told her she could not wear the outfit if she was to perform, and when she declined to change it, she was removed from the memorial program and escorted out by campus police. Arado said, “I had a voice, a voice that I wanted to share. It was heartbreaking to me and made me really angry.” University officials said the gathering was meant as a solemn space for community reflection, not a venue for activism, and that her attire did not align with the non‑political spirit of the event.

Pretti, a 2011 University of Minnesota graduate and intensive care nurse, had been shot and killed by federal immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026, during ongoing ICE operations. His death drew widespread attention and prompted campus groups to call for the university to take clearer positions on immigration enforcement and support for students affected by federal actions. Faculty and student leaders criticized university communications in the days after both earlier shootings in Minneapolis and Pretti’s killing as too vague, noting messages spoke of fear and grief but did not explicitly denounce ICE actions or outline specific support measures.

Around the same time, faculty and student organizations, including the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the graduate student union, pressed the administration to do more than issue general statements. They urged the university to bar federal immigration officers from campus buildings, to refuse compliance with federal information requests, and to adopt stronger public messaging condemning both the killing of Pretti and broader enforcement practices. Some faculty said the university had an opportunity to be a moral leader but had not yet provided clear and powerful messaging that would serve the moment, while students described official emails as “vague and not very supportive.”