Former President Barack Obama issued a scathing rebuke of the Trump administration Sunday following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, marking a rare political intervention by the 44th president.
Obama released the statement through his X account, jointly with former first lady Michelle Obama, condemning what he characterized as “embarrassing, lawless and cruel tactics” employed by federal immigration enforcement officers.
“The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy,” Obama wrote.
“It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.”
The former president directly attributed responsibility for Pretti’s death, along with that of Renee Nicole Good in the same city, to ICE and Border Patrol officers involved in the incidents.
Obama also criticized Trump administration officials who have defended the agents’ actions.
Pretti, an intensive care nurse carrying a legally permitted Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol, died Saturday during a confrontation with Border Patrol officers.
The incident occurred while he was reportedly participating in a demonstration against federal immigration enforcement operations.
Video footage captured Pretti filming agents with his phone before positioning himself between an officer and a woman who had been forced to the ground.
Officers tackled Pretti, and one unnamed agent fired multiple shots, killing him.
Bystander recordings appear to show an agent removing the pistol from Pretti immediately before another agent opened fire.
The footage does not show Pretti holding the weapon at any point during the encounter.
Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7.
The shooting happened when Good’s vehicle appeared to be blocking ICE agents during what the Trump administration described as a protest against planned detention of Somali migrants.
Video documentation shows Good inside her car speaking with a masked agent while her wife, Rebecca Good, 40, demanded he “show his face.”
After Good refused orders to exit the vehicle and began driving away, Ross’s body camera footage showed movement that officials say occurred when he was either struck by the car or jumped clear.
Ross fired three shots, with one bullet penetrating the Honda’s windshield and fatally striking Good.
The Department of Homeland Security has maintained that agents acted in self-defense in both incidents.
President Trump has labeled both Good and Pretti “domestic terrorists” and assigned them blame for their own deaths.
Obama’s statement challenged these official explanations, praising Americans participating in “peaceful protests” despite what he termed a violent crackdown.
The former president noted that federal law enforcement agents face “a tough job” but must “carry out their duties in a lawful, accountable way.”
“That’s not what we’re seeing in Minnesota,” Obama stated.
“In fact, we’re seeing the opposite.”
The 44th president expressed concern about “masked ICE recruits and other federal agents acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that seem designed to intimidate, harass, provoke and endanger the residents of a major American city.”
Obama highlighted that even John Mitnick, the former top lawyer for DHS during Trump’s first administration, has expressed outrage over current enforcement tactics.
“This has to stop,” Obama declared.
The former president called on administration officials to “reconsider their approach and start finding ways to work constructively with Governor Walz and Mayor Frey as well as state and local police to avert more chaos.”
Obama criticized government officials for being “eager to escalate the situation while offering public explanations for the shooting that aren’t informed by any serious investigations – and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence.”
The deaths have intensified demonstrations against ICE operations nationwide.
Both victims are believed to have been participating in protests against aggressive deportation tactics when they were killed.
Obama encouraged Americans to “support and draw inspiration from the wave of peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other parts of the country,” calling them “a timely reminder that ultimately it’s up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our basic freedoms, and hold our government accountable.”
