Former U.S. President Barack Obama shared his candid remarks on the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement shootings in Minnesota. For those unserved, two U.S. citizens, identified as Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, were fatally shot by ICE agents in Minnesota earlier in January 2026.
Speaking about the Trump administration-backed agency’s actions during the February 14 episode of Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast, the 44th U.S. President expressed that “The rogue behavior of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous,” highlighting troubling actions by the ICE that included “pulling people out of their homes, using five-year-olds to try to bait their parents, all the stuff that we saw, teargassing crowds simply who were standing there, not breaking any laws.”
“It is important for us to recognize the unprecedented nature of what ICE was doing in Minneapolis, St Paul,” he added.
Great sitting down with @BrianTylerCohen to talk about everything from the courage we saw in Minnesota, to how Democrats can be true to our values and get stuff done, to how we’re building a community of changemakers at the @ObamaFoundation. https://t.co/xyskxKbM8n pic.twitter.com/E02yOaHezK
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 14, 2026
Furthermore, in the podcast, Obama praised local communities, helping their neighbours in need, highlighting residents who accompanied children to school, and teachers who stood up for their students.
He added that the sustained behaviour in subzero weather by ordinary people should “give us hope,” during tough times and should remind us that, “at the end of the day, the way we get a democracy that’s working. The way we get policies that actually are helping working families get ahead. The way that we restore norms, rule of law, decency, it’s going to be because we citizens are activated and paying attention and saying enough.”
Barack Obama continued, “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,” adding “At least a good number of the American people saying, we’re going to live up to those values that we say we believe in. As long as we have folks doing that, I feel like we’re going to get through this.”
The former president, along with his wife Michelle Obama, previously condemned the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, calling it “a heartbreaking tragedy.”
“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,” Barack Obama wrote on X.
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. pic.twitter.com/0JmEsJ1QFW
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 25, 2026
Meanwhile, in recent news, Border czar Tom Homan, on Thursday, announced that the Trump administration plans to draw down its immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota following the fatal shooting of Good and Pretti, per The Guardian.
“As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals,” Homan said at a news conference, adding, “I have proposed, and President [Donald] Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude.”
