Barack and Michelle Obama have excoriated the killing of yet another U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, accusing the Trump administration of seeming “eager to escalate” tensions while feeding the public apparent lies.
One day after ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot by federal agents as he filmed an immigration operation on his phone, the Obamas weighed into the tragedy, warning that ICE’s heavy-handed tactics have gone from an outrageous “spectacle” to a “wake-up call” for all Americans.
“The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. 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 and first lady wrote in a statement.
Pretti was the second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis to be murdered by federal agents in almost as many weeks, coming after the death of mother-of-three Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE officer on January 7.
Trump has yet to acknowledge Pretti’s death, but has instead sought to tie what happened to the welfare fraud controversy that has engulfed Minnesota for years.
“Minnesota is a Criminal COVER UP of the massive Financial Fraud that has gone on!,” said Trump, who was criminally convicted in 2024 for falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal with a porn star.
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, CPB Commander Greg Bovino, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche hit the airwaves on Sunday morning justifying the shooting as an act of self defense and painting Pretti as an armed man intent on harming law enforcement.
“We will do everything that we need to do to protect the men and women of ICE when the state and local government refuse to do so,” Blanche said on Meet the Press.
In their statement, the Obamas acknowledged that federal law enforcement officials had a tough job, but Americans expected them to be lawful and accountable.
However, they added: “That’s not what we’re seeing in Minnesota. In fact, we’re seeing the opposite.”
“For weeks now, people across the country have been rightly outraged by the spectacle of 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,” the statement said.
“And yet rather than trying to impose some semblance of discipline and accountability over the agents they’ve deployed, the President and current administration officials seem eager to escalate the situation, while offering public explanations for the shootings of Mr. Pretti and Renee Good that aren’t informed by any serious investigation – and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence. This has to stop.”
The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. 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. pic.twitter.com/0JmEsJ1QFW
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 25, 2026
Pretti’s death ignited immediate anti-ICE protests, as well as outrage over the administration’s version of events, which is at odds with mobile footage and sworn affidavits from local witnesses.
The footage shows Pretti apparently recording federal agents as they shove a woman, then placing his body between the woman and agents in a bid to help her after she was pushed.
An agent then sprays Pretti at close range with a chemical irritant, which leads to him struggling on the ground beneath several agents before he is shot numerous times. The footage does not show him attempting to draw or use a firearm.
Despite this, Bovino told CNN on Sunday: “The victims are the Border Patrol agents. I’m not blaming the Border Patrol agents. The suspect put himself in that situation.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have urged the president to withdraw ICE in a bid to de-escalate the situation.
However, in a move that some have likened to “extortion,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote to Walz demanding that he hand over the state’s voter rolls in exchange for federal help.
“This has never been about safety or immigration. It’s a pretext for Trump to take over elections in swing states,” warned Democrat Congressman Seth Moulton.
The Obamas urged the administration to “reconsider their approach and start finding ways to work constructively” with Walz, Frey and state and local police “to avert more chaos and achieve legitimate law enforcement goals.”
“In the meantime, every American should support and draw inspiration from the wave of peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other parts of the country,” they added.
“They are 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.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
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