Barack and Michelle Obama are some of the latest high-profile political figures to speak about the murder of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents yesterday in Minneapolis, and they’re encouraging Americans to draw inspiration from the peaceful protests in the city.
Issuing a joint statement on social media, the former president and First Lady warned that “our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.” And they condemned the actions of federal law enforcement and immigration agents in Minneapolis.
“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 reads. These unprecedented tactics – which even the former top lawyer of the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration has characterized as embarrassing, lawless and cruel – have now resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S citizens.”
The Obamas also slammed President Donald Trump and his administration, and accused him of further increasing tensions.
“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.”
The statement also pleads for federal leaders to cooperate with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. In reaction to the murder of Pretti, Walz is asking for the federal government to allow the state authorities to investigate the murder, and Frey requested a restraining order to halt ICE operations in Minneapolis.
The Minnesota and Minneapolis leaders have been battling with the Trump administration for control over their jurisdictions. Attorney Pam Bondi issued several demands to Walz in a letter today, telling the governor that to reduce the presence of ICE in Minneapolis, she wants the state’s Medicaid and supplemental food assistance records shared with the federal government, a repealing state “sanctuary policies,” and for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to be able to access to Minnesota’s voter rolls to confirm compliance with federal law.
Tensions seem to only be growing, and as the rest of the nation watches the residents of Minneapolis defend themselves against ICE, the Obamas applauded the peaceful protests, saying that Americans should be inspired.
“[Every] American should support and draw inspiration from the wave of peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other parts of the country,” they said. “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.”
