Former US President Barack Obama publicly expressed support for demonstrators in Minneapolis opposing the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling the agency’s operations in Minnesota “unprecedented.”
Highlighting citizens’ power
Speaking to YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen on Saturday (February 14), Obama emphasized the role of American citizens in shaping outcomes.
“The reason I point out that I don’t think the majority of the American people approve of this is because ultimately, the answer is going to come from the American people. We just saw this in Minnesota, in Minneapolis,” he said.
Criticism of ICE tactics
Obama criticized federal agents for their methods during the Minnesota operations, citing the use of children to coerce parents and teargassing of peaceful crowds.
“It is important for us to recognize the unprecedented nature of what ICE was doing in Minneapolis, St Paul, the way that federal agents, ICE agents were being deployed, without any clear guidelines, training, pulling people out of their homes, using five-year-olds to try to bait their parents… all the stuff that we saw, teargassing crowds who were simply standing there, not breaking any laws,” he said.
Impact of local protests
The protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul gained momentum after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents. Following the demonstrations, US border official Tom Homan announced a drawdown of immigration enforcement in Minnesota, which many credited to the success of public protests.
“Right now, we’re being tested, and the good news is, what we saw in Minneapolis and St Paul, and what we’re seeing in places across the country, including here in Los Angeles, has been the American people saying no,” Obama stated.
Condemnation of violence and federal conduct
Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama earlier called the killing of Alex Pretti a “heartbreaking tragedy” and a warning to the nation.
“It is a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault,” they said in a statement.
