On Sunday, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama voiced their outrage over the immigration enforcement actions taken by the Trump administration in Minnesota, following the tragic shooting of protester Alex Pretti.

While authorities claimed that Pretti was shot for allegedly confronting officers with a handgun, video evidence has surfaced showing that the 37-year-old was only holding a phone.

“The death of Alex Pretti is a devastating tragedy. It should serve as a wake-up call for all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, that many of our foundational national values are under threat,” the Obamas expressed in a statement on the social media platform X.

“Federal law enforcement and immigration officers face challenging tasks. However, the public rightfully expects them to perform their duties lawfully and accountably, collaborating with state and local officials to maintain public safety. Unfortunately, what we’re witnessing in Minnesota is far from this expectation,” they continued.

In response, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced that the incident will be thoroughly reviewed, including the examination of the video footage capturing Pretti’s death.

“Every video will be analyzed, everything will be looked at, and that’s part of the answers that I can’t speak to. … But this happened in seconds,” she said in a statement, as reported by NBC News.

Still, the Obamas said the deaths of Renee Good and Pretti raise serious concerns about the safety of immigration operations. 

“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,” the Obamas wrote.  

“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.”

Local leaders have also echoed the Obamas’ concerns about immigration operations in the North Star State as fatal shootings continue to occur. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said there are 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers near the Twin Cities, outnumbering local police 3-to-1. 

“I’ve formally requested National Guard assistance to support our 600 Minneapolis police officers. I’ve been clear for weeks: this situation is unsustainable,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) said in a statement on X.

“Our community is tired. Our officers are tired. Our businesses are tired. Our top priority is safety and this will help,” he continued.