Former President Barack Obama speaks out on ICE shootings in Minnesota: “This is not the America we believe in”
Former President Barack Obama spoke out in a recent interview about the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement shootings in Minnesota that left people dead. Renee Bonne And Alex Pretti and addressed the state of the country.
Obama sat down with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen for a lengthy interview published Saturday, providing detailed remarks on what he called the “unprecedented nature” of ICE’s deployment of more than 2,000 agents in an operation dubbed “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota without any clear guidance or training.
“The rogue behavior of federal agents is deeply concerning and dangerous,” Obama said, noting that agents were kicking people out of their homes, using young children to try to bait their parents, and throwing tear gas at crowds simply because they were standing there, without breaking any laws.
Border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday that Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota endswith a withdrawal of federal immigration agents. Homan said the decision was made after looking at two major factors: the multitude of arrests for “threats to public safety” that the operation yielded, and a sharp decline in the need for federal agents to call in rapid response force teams because of the “agitators.”
Obama said Americans pushed back because “this is not the America we believe in” and that the community organized by buying groceries for people, walking children to school and holding peaceful protests. He added that the sustained behavior of ordinary people in freezing weather is what should “give us hope”. The former president said the way to restore norms, rules of law and decency was for people to pay attention and say “enough,” and for citizens to have an idea of what an American family should look like.
In response to a question about President Trump’s post a racist meme of the former president and his wife last week, Obama said he had traveled across the country and met many people who still believe in decency, civility and kindness. He also said he didn’t believe the American people approved of this type of speech, just as they didn’t approve of what he saw in Minnesota.
Ultimately, Obama said, “The answer will come from the American people.” »
CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment.
