Former President Obama and Michelle Obama have asked the American people to recognize the risk of violence involving immigration and Customs Enforcement following the shooting death of an ICU nurse in Minneapolis.
“The killing of Alex Pretti is a tragic tragedy,” the Obamas wrote in a lengthy statement posted on social media. “It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party affiliation, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under attack.”
Pretti, a 37-year-old Department of Veterans Affairs nurse, was seen using her cell phone to film ICE agents working Saturday morning in a snowy area of Minneapolis. Witness videos show ICE agents shoving the woman and Pretti to help her. He was then pushed and doused with chemical spray, and was pushed to the ground. He was shot 10 times.
On Sunday, there were protests across the country to protest the tactics of ICE agents and comments made by President Trump and others in his administration. Many administration officials appeared to blame Pretti for his death because he was carrying a weapon during the protest.
Minneapolis police say Pretti has a license to carry a concealed weapon; gun rights groups criticized some of the administration’s comments and called for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Pretti’s death.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara on Sunday almost begged for silence in his city that saw hundreds of ICE arrive.
“This has to stop,” Obama wrote.
“Government law enforcement and immigration agents have a tough job,” the Obamas wrote. “But the American people expect them to do their jobs in a legal, responsible manner, and to work with, rather than against, state and local officials to ensure public safety.”
“That’s not what we’re seeing in Minnesota. In fact, we’re seeing the opposite,” the former first couple wrote.
On Sunday, protests grew as people watched cell phone video shot by bystanders of Pretti’s shooting.
Pretti’s parents, Susan and Michael Pretti, in a statement reported by Assoc. Press, described their son as “a kind-hearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and the American veterans he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Hospital.”
Her shooting came less than three weeks after an ICE agent fatally shot an unarmed mother, Renee Nicole Good, in another Minneapolis neighborhood. The agency said it was trying to injure the ICE agent even though the video of the incident appears to show him turning the wheel of his SUV away from the agent when he shot him in the face.
“For weeks now, people across the country have been outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE agents and other federal agents acting with impunity and engaging in tactics that appear designed to intimidate, harass, annoy and endanger the citizens of America’s largest city,” the Obamas wrote, describing the tactics as “unprecedented tactics.”
“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 are not informed by any serious investigation — and that appear to directly contradict the video evidence,” Obamas wrote.
“This has to stop,” Obama wrote.
They called on Trump administration officials to “reconsider their approach” and work constructively with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other state and local authorities “to avoid further chaos and achieve legitimate law enforcement goals.”
“Right now, every American should support and take inspiration from the wave of peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other parts of the country,” the Obamas wrote. “They are a timely reminder that it is ultimately up to us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our basic liberties, and hold our government accountable.”
