Obama condemns Trump administration for Alex Pretti shooting

Barack Obama has made a rare political statement to condemn Donald Trump's administration over the fatal shootings of two US citizens by immigration officers in Minnesota. 

'The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy,' the former president wrote on X in the wake of the most recent horror on Sunday. 

'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.'

Obama placed the blame for Pretti's death, along with the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in the same city, squarely on the shoulders of the ICE and Border Patrol officers involved, and with Trump administration officials who have defended them. 

The Democrat politician said the federal agents caused the deaths by using 'embarrassing, lawless and cruel tactics' which have endangered US citizens. 

He also slammed government officials for being 'eager to escalate the situation while offering public explanations for the shooting that aren't informed by any serious investigations - and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence'. 

Pretti, who was armed, was gunned down amid a scuffle with Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis on Saturday, while Good, a 37-year-old mother-of-three, was killed by ICE agents who shot through the windshield of her car on January 7. 

Both victims are believed to have been protesting the increasingly aggressive tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to deport migrants, and their deaths have only caused rallies against the agency to snowball. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said agents acted in self-defense in both cases, while President Trump has blamed Good and Pretti for their own deaths, claiming they were 'domestic terrorists'. 

Obama's statement picks apart the claims made by Trump officials, and praises demonstrators who have taken part in 'peaceful protests' across America despite the violent crackdown. 

The 44th US President acknowledged that while federal law enforcement agents have 'a tough job', they are expected to 'carry out their duties in a lawful, accountable way'. 

'That's not what we're seeing in Minnesota,' he wrote. 'In fact, we're seeing the opposite.'

Obama added that people 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 former president pointed out that these tactics have enraged even the former top lawyer for DHS under the first Trump administration, John Mitnick. 

'This has to stop,' Obama wrote.  

'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.

'In 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's up to each of us as citizens to speak out against injustice, protect our basic freedoms, and hold our government accountable.' 

Obama's statement was issued from his X account, jointly with his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama. 

Pretti's death came amid a protest against the federal immigration crackdown on Saturday.  

The intensive care nurse was armed with a loaded Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol - which he had a legal permit to carry - when he allegedly tried to stop agents from arresting a woman before a scuffle ensued. 

Footage of the incident showed Pretti filming agents with his phone, before standing between one officer and a woman who they had pushed to the ground. 

Agents responded by wrestling Pretti to the ground, before one officer shot him multiple times. The officer who opened fire has not been named.   

Bystander video appears to show one agent removing the pistol from Pretti in the moment before the other agent shot him. He does not appear to have been holding the pistol at any point. 

Seventeen days prior, ICE agent Jonathan 'Jon' Ross fatally shot Minneapolis mother-of-three Renee Nicole Good, in a tragic incident which was also caught on camera. 

Video showed Good inside her car, which appeared to be obstructing ICE agents. 

She could be heard speaking with a masked agent from inside the vehicle, while her wife, Rebecca Good, 40, urged him to 'show his face'. 

As the tension mounted, Good was told to get out of the car, but ignored orders. She began revving the engine and drove off during what the Trump Administration said was part of a protest against the planned detention of Somali migrants in the area.

Ross's camera then jerked. It is unclear if he was struck by the car or jumped to get out of its way.

The ICE agent fired three shots, including one through the front windshield of the Honda which struck and killed Good.