Ben Stiller has issued a blistering statement calling for the immediate removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from American streets, per faroutmagazine.co.uk. The actor’s intervention follows a period of escalating violence in Minneapolis, which has seen the fatal shooting of two citizens by federal officers.
The Severance director’s open letter comes in the wake of the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Both were killed by agents during a controversial federal surge in the city, an event Stiller described as “the violent murder of American citizens, killed in cold blood in broad daylight by masked agents.”’
In a heartfelt post shared to social media, Stiller expressed deep concern for the future of US democracy. He accused the current administration of “shifting blame to the victims” and creating “false narratives” regarding the circumstances of their deaths.
“These were our neighbours, their lives ended by armed militias entering our communities with impunity,” Stiller wrote. “We must demand that [elected representatives] represent the expressed will of the people they serve… We must demand justice and an end to this lethal chaos.”
Stiller is the latest in a series of major film industry figures to speak out against the conduct of federal agents. He joins Natalie Portman, Ethan Hawke, and Molly Ringwald in a growing chorus of dissent.
The music world has also responded with force. Bruce Springsteen recently released a protest single, ‘Streets of Minneapolis’, dedicated to the memory of Pretti and Good. The track takes aim at what the singer described as “state terror” being visited upon the city.
Stiller concluded his statement with a plea for a return to empathy: “I believe we can reverse this slide toward division and hate. Facing this moment with a return to empathy and love for one another might sound naïve, but it’s ultimately what will move our country forward.”
•Featured image: Ben Stiller/Far Out/Montclair Film
