(Washington Seoul = Yonhap News) Kim Dong-hyun Correspondent Lim Hwa-seop = Former U.S. presidents of the Democratic Party, including Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, criticized the Trump administration's hardline immigration crackdown that caused a series of shootings on the 25th (local time), urging citizens to stand up and speak out.
The killing of Alex Pretty is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also serve as a wake-up call that our core values as a nation are increasingly being attacked by all Americans regardless of political parties, former President Obama said in a statement.
He argued that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents are carrying out "tactics that appear to be designed to intimidate, harass, provoke, and endanger residents of major U.S. cities" without any restraint, and that American anger is justified.
"All Americans should support and be inspired by the wave of peaceful protests in Minneapolis and other regions," he said. "It is ultimately up to each of us, citizens, to speak out against injustice, to protect basic freedoms, and to hold the government accountable."
In Minneapolis, Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman, was shot dead by immigration agents on the 7th and Alex Pretty, a 37-year-old man, on the 24th.
Good and Pretty were American citizens.
The Trump administration claims that the two men threatened the lives of the crackdown agents, but the circumstances revealed in the video filmed by witnesses around them are contrary to this explanation.
Protests have been held in major U.S. cities, including Minneapolis, where Good and Pretty died, against hard-line immigration policies.
Former President Obama pointed out that the administration's explanation of how the two were killed was not based on a proper investigation and contradicted the video of the situation at the time.
He also said Trump and administration officials seem to want to deepen the conflict rather than discipline and accountability of agents, and that he hopes the administration will review its approach so far and cooperate with Minnesota and Minneapolis local governments.
Former President Bill Clinton said that the democracy of the United States has reached a tipping point, adding, "If we give up our freedom after 250 years, we may not be able to regain it forever."
"There are only a few moments in a person's life where the decisions we make and the actions we take shape our history for many years to come," he said. "This is the moment."
"All of us who believe in the promise of American democracy must get up, speak, and show that our country still belongs to the 'us American people,'" he urged.
Former President Clinton criticized the Trump administration for acting "unacceptable" and lying to citizens.
"People in responsible positions are lying to us, telling us not to believe what we saw with our own eyes, and increasingly we are pushing hostile tactics," he said.
bluekey@yna.co.kr
solatido@yna.co.kr
Trump's dogma threatens U.S. citizens.
America is no longer a safe country, even for Americans.
Maybe we're worse than that.
I have no idea what the U.S. will look like.
