Obama on ICE shootings in Minnesota: "This is not the America we believe in"
#Obama #ICE #Minnesota #Operation Metro Surge #Immigration #Civil rights #Trump #Political discourse
📌 Key Takeaways
- Obama called ICE's 'Operation Metro Surge' unprecedented and deeply concerning
- Over 2,000 ICE agents deployed in Minnesota without clear guidelines or training
- Operation is concluding according to Border czar Tom Homan
- Obama commended Americans for organizing peaceful resistance
- Former president believes restoring norms comes from the American people
📖 Full Retelling
Former President Barack Obama criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota during a recent interview released on Saturday, February 14, 2026, calling their conduct in 'Operation Metro Surge' unprecedented and deeply concerning, following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during the controversial immigration enforcement operation. Obama detailed the 'rogue behavior' of federal agents, including pulling people from their homes, using young children to bait parents, and tear-gassing peaceful crowds that were not breaking any laws. The operation involved over 2,000 ICE agents deployed without clear guidelines or proper training, according to the former president's assessment. Border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday that the operation is concluding, citing successful 'public safety threat' arrests and a reduced need for quick response teams due to fewer 'agitators' in the area. Obama commended the American people for pushing back against the operation through community organizing, grocery donations, school accompaniment, and peaceful protests, stating that their sustained efforts in subzero temperatures should 'give us hope' and that 'This is not the America we believe in.' The former president emphasized that restoring norms, rules of law, and decency requires citizens to pay attention and say 'enough,' while also commenting on President Trump's recent racist meme of him and his wife, expressing confidence that most Americans still believe in decency and kindness.
🏷️ Themes
Immigration enforcement, Civil rights, Political discourse
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Original Source
Politics Former President Barack Obama speaks out on ICE shootings in Minnesota: "This is not the America we believe in" By Cara Tabachnick Cara Tabachnick News Editor Cara Tabachnick is a news editor at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com Read Full Bio Cara Tabachnick February 14, 2026 / 2:40 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Former President Barack Obama spoke out in a recent interview on the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement shootings in Minnesota that took the lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and addressed the state of the country. Obama sat down with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen for a wide-ranging interview released on Saturday, providing detailed remarks on what he called the "unprecedented nature" of the ICE deployment of over 2,000 agents in an operation dubbed "Operation Metro Surge" to Minnesota without any clear guidelines and training. "The rogue behavior of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous," Obama said, pointing to agents pulling people out of their homes, using young children to try to bait their parents and tear-gassing crowds simply for standing there, not breaking any laws. Border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday that Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota is concluding , with a drawdown of federal immigration officers. Homan said the decision was made after reviewing two major factors: the multitude of "public safety threat" arrests the operation has yielded, and a steep drop in the need for federal officers to call in quick response force teams due to "agitators." Obama said Americans pushed back on the operation because, "This is not the America we believe in," and the community organized by buying groceries for folks, accompanying children to school and having peaceful protests. He added...
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