Former U.S. President Joe Biden issued a forceful condemnation of recent events in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Tuesday, saying they represent a fundamental betrayal of American values.
“What has unfolded in Minneapolis this past month betrays our most basic values as Americans,” Biden wrote on social media. “We are not a nation that guns down our citizens in the street. We are not a nation that allows our citizens to be brutalized for exercising their constitutional rights.”
He said the United States is not a country that tramples the Fourth Amendment or tolerates terror against its own residents. Biden praised Minnesotans for standing together under what he described as unimaginable circumstances, supporting one another, speaking out against injustice, and demanding accountability from the federal government.
“Minnesotans have reminded us all what it is to be American, and they have suffered enough at the hands of this administration,” Biden wrote. “Violence and terror have no place in the United States of America, especially when it’s our own government targeting American citizens.”
Biden also called for comprehensive, fair, and transparent investigations into the deaths of two U.S. citizens who were killed in Minneapolis in separate incidents involving federal agents.
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The statement comes amid growing national scrutiny of federal enforcement operations in Minneapolis. In early January 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol agents were deployed to the city as part of a federal operation aimed at strengthening immigration enforcement.
The first fatal incident occurred on January 7, when an ICE agent shot and killed Renée Good, a U.S. citizen, during an immigration raid. The killing immediately sparked protests and widespread criticism from civil rights advocates and local residents.
Less than three weeks later, on January 24, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old American nurse, was fatally shot during another federal operation in the city. According to initial reports, the officers involved included Border Patrol agents operating in coordination with ICE.
“Jill and I are sending strength to the families and communities who love Alex Pretti and Renee Good as we all mourn their senseless deaths,” the former president concluded.
