Former President Barack Obamasaid in a Feb. 14 interview that the actions of some federal agents under the Trump administration are similar to behavior previously seen under dictatorships.
"The rogue behavior of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous," Obama said in aninterview with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen.
After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Penn High School students participate in a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Protesters gather at City Hall in response to recent actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly referred to as "ICE," and the presence of Flock cameras in the community and Indiana University campus, in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
A Penn High School student confronts a man in a car line at the school who was shouting, "Let's go ICE!" as students were marching past during a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Protesters gather at City Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026, in response to recent immigration enforcement actions by the government." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 'ICE Out' protests spark marches, confrontations across US
After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. areprotestingagainst Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.
Obama added that American citizens should be appreciated for engaging in "peaceful protests and shining a light on the sort of behavior that, in the past, we've seen in authoritarian countries and we've seen in dictatorships, but we have not seen in America."
Obama's remarks come afterWhite House border czar Tom Homanannounced Feb. 12 that the Trump administration would bedrawing down the surge of federal immigration agentsit sent into Minnesota. Two U.S. citizens,Renee Nicole GoodandAlex Pretti, were killed by federal agents in that state in incidents that sparked controversy and protest.
The former president characterized the actions of ICE agents in Minnesota in particular was "unprecedented."
Those agents were deployed into cities without clear guidelines and trainings, and once there, they pulled people out of homes, used children to bait their parents, and tear-gassed "crowds simply who were standing there, not breaking any laws," he said.
As protests have mounted in major cities in recent months in response to ICE actions, White House officials have defended their immigration record.
Vice President JD Vance, for instance, rebuffed allegations that immigration agents had used a five-year-old as bait by ordering him to knock on his front door and then apprehending the boy's father.
"Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?"Vance said. "If the argument is that you can't arrest people who have violated our laws because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity from ever being the subject of law enforcement."
Negotiations between congressional Democrats and the White Houseare ongoing this weekend, as Democrats seek new restrictions on federal immigration agents in exchange for providing Department of Homeland Security funds.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Obama says 'rogue' ICE actions under Trump admin similar to dictatorships
