Katy Perry, other celebrities urge citizen action after Minnesota shootings. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/AP)
Singer Katy Perry and other US celebrities have urged people to contact lawmakers and speak out after federal immigration officers killed two US citizens during an immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
Katy Perry asked her followers on Instagram to write to their senators and urge them to oppose funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which operates under the Department of Homeland Security.
The deaths this month of Renee Good, a mother of three, and Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, have led to protests against US President Donald Trump’s decision to send more federal agents to Minnesota.
Actor Pedro Pascal shared drawings of Good and Pretti on Instagram with the message: “Pretti Good reason for a national strike”.
Singer Billie Eilish also posted on Instagram, calling Pretti “a real American hero” and urging others to speak out. “Hey my fellow celebrities u gonna speak up? or,” she wrote, according to Reuters.
The National Basketball Players Association, which represents NBA players, said in a statement that players “can no longer remain silent”.
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“Now more than ever, we must defend the right to freedom of speech and stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice,” the union said, Reuters reported.
Trump administration officials have said the killings were acts of self-defence by officers. However, Reuters noted that video footage from the scenes has challenged that account.
Reuters said US celebrities have frequently spoken out on social and political issues, including police violence after the killing of George Floyd and Israel’s war in Gaza.
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Katy Perry, other celebrities urge citizen action after Minnesota shootings. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/AP) 
