Barack and Michelle Obama condemned the ongoing ICE operations in Minnesota and mourned the shooting death of VA nurse Alex Pretti via a lengthy statement shared online Sunday.<\/b>
\nBarack and Michelle Obama condemned the ongoing ICE operations in Minnesota and mourned the shooting death of VA nurse Alex Pretti via a lengthy statement shared online Sunday.
\u201cThis has to stop,\u201d the former president and first lady insisted.
The statement reads in full:
\u201cThe 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.\u201d
\u201cFederal law enforcement and immigration agents have a tough job. But Americans expect them to carry out their duties in a lawful, accountable way, and to work with, rather than against, state and local officials to ensure public safety. That\u2019s not what we\u2019re seeing in Minnesota. In fact, we\u2019re seeing the opposite.\u201d
\u201cFor 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,\u201d the pair added.
\u201cThese unprecedented tactics \u2013 which even the former top lawyer of the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration has characterized as embarrassing, lawless and cruel \u2013 have now resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S citizens. And yet rather than trying to impose some semblance of discipline and accountability over the agents they\u2019ve 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\u2019t informed by any serious investigation \u2013 and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence.\u201d
\u201cThis has to stop. I would hope that after this most recent tragedy, administration officials will reconsider their approach, and start finding ways to work constructively with Governor Walz and Mayor Frey as well as state and local police to avert more chaos and achieve legitimate law enforcement goals.\u201d
\u201cIn the meantime, every American should support and draw inspiration from the wave of peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other parts of the country. They are a timely reminder that ultimately it\u2019s up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our basic freedoms, and hold our government accountable,\u201d the Obamas concluded.
Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse at VA Minneapolis Health Care, was shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis Saturday morning.
\u201cI\u2019m done being told that our community members are responsible for the vitriol in our streets. I\u2019m done being told that our local elected officials are solely responsible for turning down the temperature,\u201d Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Saturday. \u201cJust yesterday, we saw 15,000 people peacefully protesting in the streets, speaking out, standing up for their neighbors. Not a single broken window, not a single injury. Those peaceful protests embody the very principles that both Minneapolis and America was founded upon.\u201d<\/p>\n