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More and more public figures in the United States—from former presidents and politicians to artists, entrepreneurs, and athletes—are raising their voices against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, both American citizens who were shot by federal agents during immigration operations this month.
Reactions indicate a growing discontent regarding the use of force and what many consider an authoritarian drift in the enforcement of immigration law under the administration of Donald Trump.
The former president Joe Biden was one of the first political figures to respond strongly to the deaths of Good and Pretti. In a statement, he outright condemned what happened and accused Donald Trump's administration of attacking its own citizens.
"We are not a nation that gunned down its citizens in the street. We are not a nation that allows our citizens to be brutalized for exercising their constitutional rights," stated the former president.
For Biden, what happened goes beyond an isolated incident. "Violence and terrorism have no place in the United States, especially when it is our own government that is attacking American citizens," he stated.
His words add to the public condemnations from other Democratic former presidents like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
From the entertainment world, reactions came quickly.
During the Sundance Film Festival, actresses Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega spoke out to EFE against the violence attributed to ICE.
Portman was particularly forceful: "This is a truly devastating moment for our country. The federal government, and ICE in particular, is being very abusive and totalitarian. It is absolutely outrageous and it must stop."
Ortega, for his part, lamented the lack of consequences for the agents involved. "The absence of a real resolution or any kind of sanction against the agents is incredibly frightening and disappointing to see from our government," he said.
At the same event, Olivia Wilde also expressed her concern, wearing a pin with the message "ICE OUT" as a sign of protest.
The actress described the events as "unthinkable" and warned, "We cannot normalize this… violence should not become a part of everyday life."
The actor Edward Norton went even further by calling for a general economic strike.
In statements to Los Angeles Times, he asserted: “These are not normal times. We suffer extrajudicial attacks against American citizens and human beings daily, and that is not acceptable. We cannot pretend this is not happening."
At the recent Golden Globe gala, Mark Ruffalo was one of the few who addressed the topic from the stage.
He dedicated words to Good's death and harshly criticized Trump: "This is for the people in the United States who are terrified and scared nowadays. I know I am one of them. I love this country. And what I see here is not the United States... This is no longer normal."
Voices of protest also emerge from music.
Katy Perry urged her followers to oppose an additional $10 billion funding for ICE and expressed feeling "sickened" by seeing people "attacked" and "shot and killed" by the immigration agency.
For her part, singer Billie Eilish shared critical messages from her brother Finneas and posed a direct question: "Hey, fellow celebrities, are you going to raise your voice, or...?"
The criticisms were not limited to the show.
In the business sector, more than 60 chief executives from large companies based in Minnesota—such as Best Buy, Target, 3M, General Mills, and UnitedHealth Group—sent a letter to state, local, and federal authorities requesting a reduction in tensions following Pretti's death.
The tech entrepreneur Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI and close to the Trump administration, stated: "ICE is going too far. There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what is happening, and we must make that distinction clearly."
Another influential voice was that of Melinda French Gates (ex-wife of Bill Gates), who wrote on LinkedIn: "No one in the U.S. should ever fear for their life for taking a peaceful and principled action in support of their beliefs."
The rejection also extended to sports.
Basketball player Breanna Stewart held up a sign with the slogan "ABOLISH ICE" before a game, while Tyrese Haliburton posted on X: "Alex Pretti was murdered."
The deaths of Renée Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on the 24th of the same month have thus become a turning point in the public debate.
Politicians, artists, business leaders, and athletes concur on a common demand: to stop the violence associated with ICE operations and hold the federal government accountable.
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