Barack and Michelle Obama blast Trump and ICE conduct
Former President Obama and Michelle Obama urged Americans to recognize the dangers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s increasingly violent crackdown following the fatal shooting of a critical care nurse in Minneapolis.
“The murder of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy,” the Obamas wrote. A long statement was published on social media. “Additionally, the fact that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under attack should be a wake-up call for every American, regardless of party.”
Pretti, a 37-year-old Department of Veterans Affairs nurse, was seen using her cell phone to record ICE members on duty in a snowy Minneapolis neighborhood Saturday morning. Witness video shows ICE agents pushing a woman and coming to Pretti’s aid. He was then pushed and sprayed with chemical spray, then lowered to the ground. He was shot 10 times.
On Sunday, demonstrations took place across the country to protest the tactics of ICE agents and the comments of President Trump and others in his administration. Many administration officials appear to be responsible for Pretti’s death because he was carrying a gun during a protest.
Minneapolis police said Pretti had a license to carry a concealed weapon; Gun rights groups condemned some of the administration’s rhetoric and called for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Pretti’s death.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara virtually pleaded for calm Sunday for his city, which witnessed hundreds of ICE agents move in. O’Hara told CBS News “this is not sustainable” and said his officers were exhausted trying to contain “all this chaos.”
“This needs to stop,” the Obamas wrote.
“Federal law enforcement and immigration officials have a tough job,” the Obamas wrote. “But Americans expect them to perform their duties lawfully and accountable and to work with, not against, state and local officials to ensure public safety.”
“This is not what we are seeing in Minnesota. In fact, we are seeing the opposite,” the former first couple wrote.
Protests grew Sunday as people watched cellphone video recorded by witnesses to Pretti’s shooting.
Pretti’s parents, Susan and Michael Pretti, are Assoc. Press described their son as “a kind-hearted soul who cared deeply about his family and friends, as well as the American veterans he cared for as an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital.”
His shooting came less than three weeks after an ICE agent shot Renee Nicole Good, an unarmed mother, in another Minneapolis neighborhood. The agency said he tried to harm an ICE agent, but video of the incident shows him turning the steering wheel of his SUV away from the agent when he shot him in the face.
“For weeks, people across the country have been rightfully outraged that masked ICE officers and other federal agents have operated with impunity and engaged in tactics that appear designed to intimidate, harass, provoke and endanger the residents of a major American city,” the Obamas wrote, describing such methods as “unprecedented tactics.”
“The President and current administration officials appear willing to escalate the situation while offering statements that are not informed by any serious investigation into the shootings of Mr. Pretti and Renee Good and that are directly contradicted by video evidence,” the Obamas wrote.
“This needs to stop,” the Obamas wrote.
They called on Trump administration officials to “reconsider their approach” and work constructively with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other state and local officials “to prevent further chaos and achieve legitimate law enforcement goals.”
“In the meantime, every American should support and be inspired by the wave of peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other parts of the country,” the Obamas wrote. “These are a timely reminder that it is ultimately up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our fundamental freedoms, and hold our government accountable.”
