Obama Condemns ICE 'Rogue' Actions After Minnesota Shootings
Obama denounced 'rogue' ICE behavior after the January deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and after a Feb. 12 drawdown of roughly 2,000 to 3,000 federal agents.
Overview
Former President Barack Obama said in a Feb. 14 interview that the "rogue behavior" of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota was deeply concerning and resembled conduct seen in authoritarian countries.
The remarks followed the January killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents and White House border czar Tom Homan's Feb. 12 announcement that the administration would draw down the surge of federal immigration officers.
Obama praised peaceful protesters who used whistles, car horns and recordings to alert communities and said their sustained behavior in subzero weather should "give us hope."
The operation involved roughly 2,000 to 3,000 federal agents, and Homan said the drawdown followed numerous "public safety threat" arrests and a steep drop in the need for quick response force teams.
Negotiations between congressional Democrats and the White House were ongoing this weekend as Democrats sought new restrictions on federal immigration agents in exchange for Department of Homeland Security funds.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this as a concern about federal overreach and civil liberties by foregrounding vivid allegations (pulled people from homes, used children as bait, tear-gassed protesters) and repeating characterizations like "rogue behavior." They present Obama's critique prominently while offering only brief administration rebuttals, creating a cautionary narrative with limited countercontext.
Sources (3)
FAQ
Renée Good was a 37-year-old mother of three killed on January 7, 2026, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis[1]. Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old intensive care nurse for the Department of Veterans Affairs who was shot multiple times by Customs and Border Protection agents on January 24, 2026, near the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis[1]. Both killings occurred during Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement dragnet launched in December 2025[3].
Operation Metro Surge was an immigration enforcement dragnet launched in December 2025 that deployed roughly 2,000 to 3,000 armed and masked federal agents across Minneapolis[3]. The operation generated significant controversy following the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents, which sparked widespread protests and raised concerns about the conduct of immigration enforcement officers in the city.
The Trump administration moved aggressively to control the narrative by portraying the victims as violent threats and terrorists[2]. The Department of Homeland Security released a statement claiming Pretti "wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement" before all key White House officials approved it[1]. President Trump posted an image of Pretti's gun, called him a "gunman," and accused Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey of inciting insurrection[1]. However, after facing backlash including from fellow Republicans, the administration placed the federal agents on administrative leave and allowed Minnesota to conduct its own investigation[2].
Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was initially denied access to the crime scenes by federal authorities, leading the BCA to file a lawsuit that resulted in a federal judge forbidding the Department of Homeland Security from destroying evidence[2]. Subsequently, the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division opened an investigation into Pretti's killing on January 31, 2026[2]. Earlier, the DOJ had declined to open a similar investigation into Good's death[2].
History
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