Obama, Bill Clinton Fan Anti-ICE Flames After CBP Shooting In Minneapolis

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have joined the growing Democrat-led backlash against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol agents following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti — an incident that occurred after Pretti arrived armed to protest the arrest of an illegal alien.

Both former presidents issued statements that effectively accused the Border Patrol agent involved of criminal wrongdoing, framing the shooting as unjustified despite reports indicating Pretti was reaching for his handgun while grappling with multiple federal agents.

Former President Obama released his remarks in an X post on behalf of himself and former first lady Michelle Obama, describing the incident in sweeping moral terms.

“The 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,” Obama wrote.

The Obamas’ statement went further, accusing federal immigration agents of “acting with impunity” and employing tactics allegedly meant to “intimidate, harass, provoke, and endanger” residents of a major American city. The former first couple claimed those enforcement strategies have already resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens.

They also took direct aim at President Donald J. Trump’s administration, asserting that officials are more interested in escalating tensions than ensuring discipline or accountability among federal agents.

The statement criticized public explanations offered by federal officials in the shootings of both Pretti and Renee Good, alleging they “aren’t informed by any serious investigation” and appear to contradict available video footage.

“Federal 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’s not what we’re seeing in Minnesota. In fact, we’re seeing the opposite.

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. 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. And yet 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.

This 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.

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.”

Former President Bill Clinton echoed similar themes in his own statement, casting the controversy as a historic turning point for the country.

“Over the course of a lifetime, we face only a few moments where the decisions we make and the actions we take will shape our history for years to come. This is one of them,” Clinton wrote.

“If we give our freedoms away after 250 years, we might never get them back.”

The coordinated statements underscore how prominent Democrats are rallying around a narrative that places blame squarely on federal immigration enforcement, even as investigations into the shootings remain ongoing and federal officials maintain that agents acted in response to armed threats.