US President Donald Trump has provided a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, in which he blamed Democratic leadership for the killing of two American citizens — Alex Pretti and Renee Good — by ICE agents, as he continues to face mounting pressure over his immigration crackdown.
Trump said on Sunday that in five Republican states, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and Louisiana, ICE arrested 150,245 alleged illegal aliens with no protests or chaos.
"Why? Because Local Police and ICE are cooperating and working together," Trump said on Truth Social.
In Democratic-run cities and states, he said, authorities refused to work with ICE and encouraged "Leftwing Agitators to unlawfully obstruct their operations."
"By doing this, Democrats are putting Illegal Alien Criminals over Taxpaying, Law-Abiding Citizens, and they have created dangerous circumstances for EVERYONE involved," he said.
"Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos."
Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot in the head by an ICE agent while she was in her SUV in Minnesota.
Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, was filming an ICE raid in Minneapolis. He tried to help a woman who was shoved by an ICE agent, only to be jumped, subdued and showered with bullets by ICE agents in seconds.
Mounting pressure
The killing of Pretti sparked protests in Minneapolis and other cities across the country. Protesters also held a vigil for Pretti at the same site where he was fatally shot.
Although the Trump administration blamed Pretti for his death, as it did with Good, citing that he carried a gun, they softened their tone after the severe backlash across the country, saying they would wait for the investigation results.
Trump signalled to the Wall Street Journal that ICE may be removed from Minneapolis.
"At some point, we will leave. We've done, they've done a phenomenal job," Trump told WSJ, but did not offer a time frame for when agents might depart. "We'll leave a different group of people there for the financial fraud."
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem expressed grief to the family of Pretti over his death, saying she will make sure the right thing is done and the investigation is completed.
"I'm grieved for them. I truly am. I can't even imagine losing a child," Noem told Fox News.
"I think everybody can learn from this situation. I'm grateful for law enforcement that put their lives on the line every day to go out there on the streets and try to bring criminals to justice and protect the public, and we'll continue to make sure the right thing is done, this investigation is completed, and that we continue to go forward, and we enforce the law and apply it equally to everybody in the country."
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaking to NBC's "Meet the Press," said an investigation was necessary to get a full understanding of the killing.
Asked if agents had already removed the pistol from Pretti when they fired on him, Blanche said: "I do not know. And nobody else knows, either. That's why we're doing an investigation."
Push back
Democrats, on the other hand, slammed the latest killing of a US citizen by ICE agents, calling on Trump to withdraw ICE from Minnesota.
Earlier, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz urged Trump to pull ICE agents from Minneapolis.
"We believe that Trump needs to pull his 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another American in the street," Walz said on X.
Former US president Barack Obama and first lady, Michelle Obama, released a joint statement condemning the killing of Pretti.
"The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault," they said.
Former president Bill Clinton also decried "horrible scenes" in Minneapolis after the killing of Pretti and Good.
"It is up to all of us who believe in the promise of American democracy to stand up, speak out, and show that our nation still belongs to We the People," Clinton said, warning that Trump administration officials have "lied to us" about the fatal encounters and used increasingly aggressive tactics in their immigration crackdown.
