Democratic ex-presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have spoken out against the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old nurse in Minneapolis, the second person to be shot dead by federal immigration officers in the city this month.
In a statement released on Sunday, Obama and his wife, Michelle, described the killing of Alex Pretti as “a heartbreaking tragedy” and “a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault”.
“For weeks now people across the country have been rightly outraged by the spectacle of masked ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] 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,” they said.
Bill Clinton joined the call in a post on X, saying the US is facing a historic moment that will shape it for years to come. He urged Americans to speak out and “show that our nation still belongs to we the people”.
Here are the key stories at a glance:
Obamas say Alex Pretti killing a ‘tragedy’ as calls mount for full investigation
Pressure mounted on Donald Trump’s administration on Sunday to fully investigate the previous day’s killing by federal immigration officers of Pretti in Minneapolis.
Calls for an investigation have come from all sides of the political divide after video analysis showed officers had removed from Pretti a handgun he was reportedly permitted to carry – and which he was not handling – before fatally shooting him.
Tim Walz urges Trump to remove agents from Minnesota: ‘You can end this’
Minnesota governor Tim Walz appealed to Trump to withdraw federal agents from Minnesota on Sunday, a day after US border patrol officers shot and killed Pretti, who was monitoring the immigration crackdown.
“What’s the plan, Donald Trump?” Walz asked at a news conference. “What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state?”
NRA and pro-gun groups call for ‘full investigation’ into killing of Alex Pretti
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has joined other gun lobbying and advocacy groups that are typically aligned with Trump in calling for the Republican president’s administration to conduct a “full investigation” into Pretti’s killing.
FBI supervisor resigns after trying to investigate agent who shot Renee Good
A supervisor in the FBI’s Minneapolis field office who unsuccessfully attempted to investigate the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in the city on 7 January has resigned, according to multiple reports.
Schumer: Democrats will block funding package if it includes homeland security money
In the wake of the second fatal shooting of a US citizen in Minnesota by a federal officer, the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, said his party would block a funding package next week if it includes money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Canada has no intention of pursuing free trade with China, says Carney
Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, said on Sunday his country had no intention of pursuing a free trade deal with China, responding to Trump’s threat to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if the US’s northern neighbour went ahead with a trade deal with Beijing.
UK politicians welcome Trump’s retreat over British troops’ role in Afghanistan
Trump’s climbdown over his claim that UK troops avoided the frontline in Afghanistan has been greeted with cross-party relief in Westminster despite his failure to apologise for remarks widely condemned as offensive and false.
What else happened today:
A US appeals court rejected federal justice department’s bid to charge five more people accused of disrupting a Minnesota church service on 18 January, according to court documents made public on Saturday, revealing the lengths the Trump administration has gone to prosecute those involved in the demonstration.
Some of the US’s biggest companies are coming under increasing pressure to speak out about the Trump administration’s ICE operations in Minnesota.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has released new guidance on how to protect children’s mental health in the digital age – emphasizing the need for systemic changes as well as parental engagement that goes beyond limiting screen time.The Florida congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost said he was assaulted by a man who said Trump would deport him at a party during the Sundance film festival in Utah.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 24 January 2026.
