VA chaplains told not to name slain Minneapolis nurse

The article reports that chaplains at a VA hospital system in Massachusetts were instructed by their supervisor not to mention Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti by name in public prayers or services, even as Pretti’s killing by Border Patrol agents in south Minneapolis has become a focal point of protests and legal fights over Operation Metro Surge. Internal communications obtained by the Reformer show the directive came after clinicians and chaplains wanted to acknowledge Pretti’s death, and that some staff objected, saying it conflicted with chaplaincy’s pastoral mission and veterans’ interest in speaking openly about the incident. VA officials offered shifting explanations when asked, at times framing the order as an attempt to avoid “politicizing” worship, while not denying that a ban on naming Pretti was imposed. The piece underscores how deeply the Minneapolis shooting is reverberating inside federal institutions nationwide, and how leadership is trying to control internal speech about a case that Twin Cities families, nurses and city officials insist must be confronted head‑on. On social media, veterans and health‑care workers are sharply split between those who see the order as censorship and those who say VA spaces should stay apolitical, mirroring the broader divide over federal enforcement tactics in Minneapolis.