Former US presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have urged Americans to stand up for their values following the second killing of a citizen in Minneapolis by immigration agents, as President Donald Trump blamed Democratic leadership for what he called “chaos.”
The Trump administration is under mounting pressure over its mass immigration crackdown, especially after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, during a scuffle on an icy roadway on Saturday. The incident came less than three weeks after immigration officers fatally shot Renee Good, also 37, in her car in the same city.
Administration officials claimed Pretti intended to harm the agents, pointing to a pistol allegedly found on him, similar to their account after Good’s death. However, widely shared video verified by US media showed Pretti never drawing a weapon, with agents firing seconds after he was sprayed with a chemical irritant and thrown to the ground.
Trump blamed Minnesota’s Democratic leaders, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, writing on Truth Social that “Democrat run Sanctuary Cities and States are REFUSING to cooperate with ICE,” adding that two citizens died as a result of “Democrat ensued chaos.”
After top officials described Pretti as an “assassin,” his parents condemned what they called the administration’s “sickening lies.” Protests erupted in Minneapolis, with demonstrators denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One placard read: “Be Pretti, be Good.”
Reacting to the outrage, Barack and Michelle Obama said Pretti’s shooting should be a “wake-up call” that core US values are “increasingly under assault.” Bill Clinton later issued a strong rebuke, saying peaceful protesters had been “arrested, beaten, teargassed, and most searingly, in the cases of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, shot and killed.”
“All of this is unacceptable,” Clinton said, urging Americans to “stand up, speak out,” warning that “if we give our freedoms away after 250 years, we might never get them back.”
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC that an investigation was necessary. While the administration has defended the officer involved, Trump declined to say whether the shooting was appropriate, telling the Wall Street Journal: “We’re reviewing everything.”
Several Republican senators have also called for a thorough probe and cooperation with local authorities. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz questioned the federal presence, asking: “What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state?”
Business leaders from 60 Minnesota-based corporations, including Target and General Mills, issued an open letter calling for de-escalation and coordination among authorities.
Tensions have grown since “Operation Metro Surge” deployed thousands of federal immigration agents to Minneapolis, a city with a large Somali immigrant population. State Attorney General Keith Ellison rejected claims of fraud, saying, “He’s not sending forensic accountants, he’s sending armed masked men.”
Public frustration is rising nationwide, with recent polls showing voters increasingly critical of Trump’s immigration operations, particularly as videos of masked agents detaining people, including children, continue to circulate.
