Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has publicly retracted comments he made about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and apologized for any misinformation. His remarks came during a time of heightened tensions in Minneapolis, which began with the death of Renee Good on January 7, a situation that escalated with the shooting of Minneapolis president Alex Pretti on January 24.
The Warriors were in Minneapolis for a scheduled game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which was postponed due to the civil unrest that followed Pretti's death. During the rescheduled game on January 26, the Timberwolves held a moment of silence for Pretti. It was during this emotionally charged period that Kerr made his controversial statements in a post-game press conference.
Kerr criticized ICE's enforcement operations, suggesting that the agency was not targeting violent criminals but rather detaining children and U.S. citizens. He described the events as "shameful" and implied that agents had deliberately killed Pretti. However, the Deportation Data Project released data showing that at least one-third of individuals in ICE custody have criminal records, challenging Kerr's characterization of the enforcement activities.
Facing scrutiny over his claims, Kerr addressed the issue ahead of a home game on Friday. He admitted his mistake and expressed regret for his statements, stating, "You’re right, I definitely misspoke, and I knew that ICE was arresting some criminals. I immediately regretted it because I knew that to be the case." Kerr aimed to clarify that his comments were meant to express concerns about the detention of those he believes should not be held, and he acknowledged the emotionally charged environment in Minneapolis as the context for his remarks.
The coach concluded his apology with a call for others to also rectify misinformation, before attempting to steer the conversation back to basketball.
The retraction and apology from Kerr come amidst calls for legal action from individuals such as a tweet from Right Angle News Network and another from a user named American AF, who suggested that the ICE agent involved in the Minneapolis incident should sue Kerr and Doc Rivers for defamation.
The ICE agent in question had acted in self-defense during the encounter with Pretti, leading to increased public scrutiny of Kerr's comments and the subsequent backlash.
