We have so many ways we think about and talk about our country and what it means to be an American.  Today, I keep thinking about what it means to live in the land of the free and home of the brave.  And I am grateful for the brave Americans in Minnesota who are fighting today for freedom for all Americans.

As you no doubt know, on Saturday, a Border Patrol agent shot and killed Alex Pretti—an American citizen and VA ICU nurse—in Minneapolis, Minnesota while he was exercising his rights to speak, assemble, and petition the government guaranteed in the Constitution (as well as his right to bear arms).  If you haven’t watched the video, I understand.  It is hard to do.  But all Americans must know that our government executed our fellow citizen on Saturday.  And that, as soon as it happened, federal government officials lied about the events, slandered a good man, and worked to cover it up.  We also must know that it was not an isolated incident.  It was the second killing by federal agents in Minneapolis in less than three weeks.  Since September, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents have shot 12 people.

It is unacceptable.  It is unconscionable.  And it is un-American.

My heart is with Alex Pretti’s family and friends and with the brave people of Minnesota who are grieving while continuing to stand up for their community, for our country, and for our Constitution.  They show us what “the home of the brave” really means.

The rights and freedoms our founders enshrined in the Constitution, the ones that generations of Americans have fought and died to secure, are under assault from an administration that believes it will not be held to account.

Americans can prove them wrong.  The Congress must act.  The courts must act.  The citizens must act.  That is what American democracy is all about.  It is what this moment calls for.  And it is what we stand to lose if we do not.

It is time for all of us to stand with and for Minnesota.  It is time for all of us to be brave.

We cannot just hope it will not happen again.  We cannot wait for the Trump administration to change course on its own.  We must use every tool we have to stop the killing of Americans in our streets—especially by those claiming to act in our names and with our authority.  

We must use our voices.  We must use our votes.

I will use every tool available to me as a member of Congress.  I have already added my name to the resolution to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.  I also voted last week against funding for the Department of Homeland Security.  I am calling on the Senate—Democrats and Republicans alike—to do the same.  I will continue to sponsor and work on legislation to bring real reform, transparency, and accountability.  And I will do all I can to ensure that we live in the land of the free.

Congressional action, while essential, will not be enough.  This is a moment for all citizens.  Let’s meet it together.

Together we can do anything,