Charles Barkley Slams Trump’s ‘Scary’ Immigration Crackdown After Latest Shooting: ‘Two People Have Died for No Reason’

Outspoken NBA legend Charles Barkley vented the situation in Minnesota has turned “scary” and urged politicians to “step up” and end the chaos after another protester against ICE and Border Patrol was shot and killed on Saturday.

Barkley said the shooting — following the shooting death of Renee Good earlier this month — has led to civil unrest that is crippling the state. He did not call out President Donald Trump by name, but seemed to take issue with his administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration in Minnesota.

Here is what Barkley said on Saturday evening:

Going back to, I think her name was Renee Good, and today — it’s just sad, man. It’s scary, it’s sad, and it’s going to end bad.

It’s already ended badly twice. And somebody’s got to step up and be adults, because, man, two people have died for no reason. And it’s just sad.

Barkley shared his thoughts after Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson told viewers the Warriors-Timberwolves game in Minnesota that was scheduled to happen on Saturday night was postponed due to the shooting.

His colleagues Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny “The Jet” Smith did not comment on the shooting.

The shooting on Saturday happened shortly after 9:00 a.m. local time, when a protester was captured on video scuffling with several Border Patrol agents before he was shot and killed.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the man who was shot — identified as 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti — was interfering with an operation to capture a violent illegal immigrant from Ecuador.

Noem said Pretti intended to “kill law enforcement” officers with a 9 mm handgun and that agents “fired defensive shots” to protect themselves from him during a press conference on Saturday evening.

Critics promptly accused Noem of delivering an account of the incident that differed from the footage. CNN anchor Jake Tapper, responding to Noem, posted the video of the shooting and asked “Is that what you see?”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) denounced the shooting in his own press conference and urged the Trump administration to pull immigration agents from the city.

Fox News reporter Steve Harrigan shared a similar assessment. Harrigan — while wearing a black gas mask — reported the tear gas agents were using against protesters was “completely ineffective” and only seemed to be causing “more turmoil.”

Watch Barkley’s comments above, via ESPN and ABC.

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