Alex Pretti, VA Image (official portrait by United States Department of Veterans Affairs)
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson, D-Exeter, called the shooting death Saturday of Alex Pretti by an ICE agent in Minneapolis a “tragic murder” as pressure mounts against the federal actions in Minneapolis.
“The brutal murder of Alex Pretti by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, just days after the brutal murder of Renee Good, is the latest example of an unaccountable federal agency using rapidly escalating and unjustified force to terrorize our communities. No one should fear being shot in the street by masked officers – anytime, anywhere,” Simpson said in a statement Monday.
Also on Monday evening, an estimated 90 people marched in a “Candlelight Procession for Alex Jeffrey Pretti and all ICE victims,” in Conway organized by the Mount Washington Valley Resistance.
Simpson said “bills now making their way through the state legislature require clear identification of state and local law enforcement officers participating in immigration enforcement activities and prohibit state resources from being used to construct ICE facilities or enable ICE’s abuses.
“These bills are simple – they demand transparency, accountability, and respect for our neighbors and communities. Granite Staters do not want masked federal agents roaming our streets. They want to feel safe in their neighborhoods, to know their tax dollars are being used appropriately, and to live under laws that reflect our ‘live free or die’ values,” she said.
“It is past time for Governor Ayotte and Republicans in Concord to put New Hampshire first, stop sitting on the sidelines, and stand with Granite Staters demanding accountability,” Simpson said.
The following bills in New Hampshire deal with immigration enforcement.
HB 1142, relative to requirements for law enforcement officers assisting in immigration enforcement. HEARING: Wednesday 1/28 at 3:30 pm in House Criminal Justice.
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HB 1364, requiring quarterly reports from counties, municipalities, or any other political subdivisions of the state that enter into certain agreements with the federal government concerning assistance with federal immigration enforcement. HEARING: Friday, 1/30 at 11:30am in House Criminal Justice.
HB 1570, relative to governmental budget authority for agreements for law enforcement agencies to participate in federal immigration enforcement. Pending a vote on floor of House.
HB 1822, relative to reporting of civil immigration detentions by state, county, and local law enforcement and correctional facilities. Pending a vote on floor of House.
HB 1609, limiting the use of state, county, and municipal funds and property for construction and operation of certain immigrant detention facilities. Pending a vote on floor of House.
The Guardian newspaper reported Monday: “President says his administration is reviewing fatal shooting as Republicans and Democrats criticize ICE surge.”
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And Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on Facebook Monday that he “had a productive call with President Trump earlier today. I told him we need impartial investigations of the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, and that we need to reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota.
“The President agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and to talk to DHS about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation, as would ordinarily be the case,” Walz said.
A staple of many New Hampshire town fairs, the pig scramble may soon look a little different.
A bill signed into law by Gov. Kelly Ayotte last week requires the commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture to create best practices for any event in which people compete to capture a pig. Those guidelines will be published before the 2027 fair season, so they won’t be in place for any fairs with pig scrambles this year, such as the upcoming Deerfield Fair in the fall.
Generally, a pig scramble involves people of the same age competing to capture pigs that have been let loose in a large pen. Contestants have to catch the pig in a drawstring bag, and the first one to do so can take the pig home.
Rep. Cathryn Harvey, a Democrat from Spofford, is the prime sponsor of the bill. She said each fair has different rules for their pig scrambles, meaning some can be more humane than others. One aspect of the events she hopes will change is the bags pigs are captured in.
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“They’re putting an animal in a plastic bag on a hot summer day,” Harvey said. “It isn’t a great idea.”
Although some fairs already use more breathable bags out of burlap, Joan O’Brien, president of the New Hampshire Animal Rights League, said she’s also seen pigs being kept in plastic bags for long periods of time after the event. Not only would a burlap bag improve the pig’s ability to breathe in the heat, she said, but she also wants fairs to require participants to bring an animal carrier for the trip home. Her organization was ultimately in favor of the legislation.
“If you don’t have a carrier, you should not be allowed to leave your pig lying in a bag,” O’Brien said, adding that some fairs already ask contestants to bring carriers. “You should be taking them right home.”
The Deerfield Fair has implemented another rule that O’Brien and Harvey hope becomes part of statewide best practices — having parents supervise their child in the pen. O’Brien once witnessed a child hang a pig upside down by its legs and then lower it headfirst into the bag.
“In the heat of the moment, the kids get excited and they just do whatever it takes to get the pig in the bag,” O’Brien said. She said parents should work with the event referee to make sure their kid is handling the pig humanely.
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Harvey’s bill originally called for pig scrambles to be banned around the state, but both she and O’Brien feel that universal guidelines for fairs would still make the experience better for the animals. Even seemingly small things, Harvey said, like giving the pigs water after the scramble, would be an improvement to the current situation for them.
“I think that the bill will embolden people to speak up at these events,” O’Brien said. “If they think a pig is being mistreated, they’ll be able to say to themselves, ‘I know that there’s supposed to be a rule, so I’m going to say something.’ So I think that would be a good outcome.”
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services collected samples of the unknown substance found in Sunapee Harbor and will be testing them tomorrow. Authorities say the spill was contained and prevented from spreading further.
HAMPSTEAD, N.H. (WHDH) – Authorities have launched an investigation after responding to a reported untimely death in Hampstead, New Hampshire, officials said.
The Attorney General’s Office is investigating the untimely death of a woman at a home in Hampstead, Attorney General John M. Formella announced.
While the investigation is just beginning, there is no known threat to the general public at this time.
The exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain under active investigation.
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This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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