Former U.S. President Barack Obama sharply criticized federal immigration enforcement operations carried out in Minnesota, describing the conduct of some officers as resembling practices “we’ve seen in authoritarian countries” and warning that the actions raised concerns about government accountability and civil liberties.
Speaking in an interview released online with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama addressed weeks of large-scale enforcement activity conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The operations, which involved thousands of federal personnel and prompted widespread protests, concluded earlier this week following mounting political pressure and public scrutiny.
“The rogue behaviour of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous,” Obama said during the interview.
He added that tactics employed during the crackdown were similar to conduct historically associated with authoritarian systems, remarks that marked his strongest public criticism yet of the operation.
The enforcement campaign, known by officials as a surge operation targeting immigration violations and alleged criminal activity, focused heavily on the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area.
Federal authorities said the effort was intended to apprehend individuals considered public safety threats, while critics, including local leaders and civil rights advocates, argued that the scope of the raids extended beyond those parameters and disrupted entire communities.
According to administration officials, thousands of arrests were made during the operation, which involved an unusually large federal presence in a state far from the U.S. southern border.
White House border adviser Tom Homan said the campaign improved cooperation with local law enforcement and reduced what he described as sanctuary protections for criminal offenders.
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The deployment drew national attention after two fatal shootings involving federal agents during enforcement actions in January intensified criticism of the administration’s immigration strategy.
The deaths triggered demonstrations across Minnesota and protests in several other U.S. cities, with community groups accusing federal authorities of excessive force and inadequate transparency.
Federal officials have said investigations into the incidents are ongoing. Details surrounding the encounters remain under review, and authorities have not publicly released full findings.
The Department of Homeland Security has defended agents’ actions, stating that officers operate under established rules governing the use of force.
Obama had previously questioned the legality of aspects of the operation in remarks made last month but adopted stronger language in the latest interview. He said he was encouraged, however, by what he described as organized civic engagement in response to the enforcement measures.
“Not just randomly, but in a systematic, organised way, citizens saying, ‘this is not the America we believe in,’ and we’re going to fight back … with cameras and with peaceful protests,” he said, praising demonstrators who continued protests despite harsh winter conditions.
Large demonstrations took place throughout January and early February, with activists monitoring federal operations and organizing legal assistance and community support networks for immigrants and affected families. Some protests escalated into confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement, prompting additional arrests unrelated to immigration violations, according to local officials.
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The Trump administration announced on Thursday that the surge deployment would end, with hundreds of agents reassigned to other locations and staffing levels in Minnesota returning closer to normal.
Homan said the withdrawal reflected the completion of operational objectives rather than a change in immigration policy, emphasizing that enforcement efforts would continue nationwide.
“I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation will conclude,” Homan told reporters, while reiterating the administration’s commitment to broader deportation initiatives.
The Minnesota operation became one of the most politically contentious domestic security actions of Trump’s current term, highlighting deep divisions over immigration enforcement and federal authority.
Polling cited by officials and media outlets indicated growing public concern about the scale and tactics of the crackdown, even as supporters argued that aggressive enforcement was necessary to address crime and unlawful immigration.
In the same interview, Obama also addressed the tone of U.S. political discourse, responding for the first time to a social media post by Trump that depicted him and former first lady Michelle Obama as monkeys. Obama criticized what he described as a broader erosion of decorum in national politics but did not call for specific policy actions in response.
The former president, who has largely maintained a limited public political profile since leaving office in 2017, has increasingly spoken out on issues related to democratic norms and civic participation.
His remarks come as legal challenges and congressional scrutiny surrounding the Minnesota operation continue to develop.
Federal authorities have said standard immigration enforcement activities will proceed in the state following the drawdown, while reviews into the fatal shootings and operational conduct remain underway.
