President Trump said in a series of social media posts on Sunday that two American citizens had “tragically” lost their lives amid his administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, but he blamed Democratic leaders for the deaths.
“Democrat run Sanctuary Cities and States are REFUSING to cooperate with ICE, and they are actually encouraging Leftwing Agitators to unlawfully obstruct their operations to arrest the Worst of the Worst People!” he wrote. “By doing this, Democrats are putting Illegal Alien Criminals over Taxpaying, Law-Abiding Citizens, and they have created dangerous circumstances for EVERYONE involved.”
The posts apparently referred to the deaths this month of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens and Minneapolis residents who were shot and killed by federal immigration agents.
Top Trump administration officials immediately and without evidence accused each of the shooting victims of “domestic terrorism” and said they were seeking to harm federal agents. In both cases, video footage from the scene contradicted the Trump administration’s version of events.
Mr. Trump, in the posts, also called on officials in Democratic-led cities and states to work with immigration authorities by turning over undocumented immigrants who are in state prisons and local jails, and said that Congress should pass legislation to “END Sanctuary Cities.”
He drew a contrast with Republican-led states, including Texas, Florida and Louisiana, where he said that immigration operations had not been met with the same level of opposition.
The killing of Mr. Pretti on Saturday has prompted a growing number of Republicans to express concerns about what happened and to call for an independent investigation.
Mr. Pretti had been legally carrying a gun but was disarmed and pinned on the ground when he was shot, according to videos. Gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association, have also pushed back on claims by federal officials that Mr. Pretti did not have a Second Amendment right to carry a firearm simply because he was protesting or observing federal agents’ actions.
Also on Sunday, Mr. Trump told The Wall Street Journal that his administration was “reviewing everything” about Mr. Pretti’s death, and that agents would leave the city “at some point,” although he did not give a time frame.
Jill Cowan is a Times reporter based in Los Angeles, covering the forces shaping life in Southern California and throughout the state.
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