Michael Che Critiques ICE on SNL’s Weekend Update, Questions Their Motives

Following the recent fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Alex Jeffrey Pretti, comedian Michael Che drew attention to the actions of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency during a segment on “Weekend Update.” Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed on Saturday, an incident that the Department of Homeland Security described as necessary force, despite contradicting video evidence from bystanders.

“I get that ICE agents are people, allegedly,” Che remarked on the Saturday night broadcast. “And they have a job to do. But at some point while you’re pepper-spraying old ladies or shooting at a nurse, you ever stop and ask yourself, ‘Are we d—s?'”

In the same segment, Che also criticized Vice President JD Vance’s comments regarding the protests against ICE officers. Vance had suggested that protesters should express their concerns through op-eds or social media platforms. Che juxtaposed this with an image from the January 6 insurrection, quipping, “You know, just like these young scholars did on January 6th.”

Pretti, who was identified as a U.S. citizen and worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs, became the latest casualty in a series of incidents involving ICE. Bystander videos surfaced on social media soon after the shooting, raising significant doubts about the narrative provided by the Department of Homeland Security. This skepticism was echoed by Minnesota officials, legal analysts, and some gun rights advocates, who questioned the Trump administration’s claims.

Earlier in the week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz publicly urged former President Donald Trump to withdraw federal ICE and border patrol officers from the state.