Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama released a statement on Sunday condemning the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis, calling it “a heartbreaking tragedy.”
Pretti, 37, was shot Saturday during protests against federal immigration operations in the city. The incident has also intensified tensions between the Trump administration and local Minnesota officials over immigration enforcement methods.
Who Was Alex Pretti?
Pretti was an intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital who had participated in protests following the January 7 fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis. Family members say Pretti was a U.S. citizen with no criminal record who cared deeply about people and was upset by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Born in Illinois and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Pretti graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, society and the environment. He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a registered nurse. Neighbors described him as quiet and warmhearted, while family members said he was an avid outdoorsman and competitive bicycle racer.
According to the records, Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Minnesota, though family members said they had never known him to carry it. His ex-wife told the Associated Press he was a Democratic voter who had participated in protests following George Floyd’s killing in 2020.
The Obamas’ statement criticized what they described as 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.” They noted that these tactics, which they said even the former top lawyer of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the first Trump administration characterized as “embarrassing, lawless and cruel,” have resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens.
The statement took direct aim at the administration’s response to the incidents, saying officials “seem eager to escalate the situation” rather than impose discipline and accountability. The Obamas specifically referenced public explanations about the shootings of Pretti and Good that “aren’t informed by any serious investigation—and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence.”
DHS said Pretti was shot after he “approached” Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, though officials did not specify if he brandished the weapon. Top Trump administration officials suggested Pretti was a “domestic terrorist” who attacked officers.
However, bystander videos show Pretti with a phone in his hand, and none appear to show him with a visible weapon. The family said videos showed Pretti holding his phone with one hand and using the other to shield a woman who was being pepper sprayed.
As of Saturday evening, the family said they had still not heard from anyone at a federal law enforcement agency about their son’s death. The family first learned of the shooting when contacted by an AP reporter.
Read The Full Statement
Statement by President Obama and Mrs. Obama: JANUARY 25, 2026
“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.
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.”