Obama Condemns Mass Crackdown on Protesters in Minnesota

DID Press: Former US President Barack Obama sharply criticized large-scale operations by U.S. immigration enforcement agents (ICE) in the state of Minnesota, saying such repression should not occur in the US.

Obama said federal agents’ actions—including raids, arrests, and aggressives—were in many cases carried out “without clear guidelines,” raising serious concerns about the rule of law and the civil rights of citizens. “Images and videos released from the operations show conduct that is not only unusual but dangerous,” He added.

The massive federal operation—reportedly involving around 3,000 agents and described as one of the largest immigration enforcement actions in U.S. history—was accompanied by footage showing live gunfire and the use of tear gas against unarmed crowds, as well as the deaths of two protesters, Reni Good and Alex Pretty, in January.

In another part of his remarks, Obama said: “These are behaviors we have seen in authoritarian countries, and they should not happen in the United States. This is what many people are saying: ‘This is not our America’.”

He also welcomed the largely peaceful response of citizens and community efforts to stand against the operations, describing them as a sign of hope for the future.