A Fetterman Under Fire Sees Own Wife Turns on Him
Family Divide: Fetterman’s Wife Condemns ICE Tactics He Publicly Supports
The wife of Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) publicly condemned federal immigration enforcement operations this weekend, creating a stark contrast with her husband’s vocal support for ICE agents and the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Gisele Barreto Fetterman, the 43-year-old former second lady of Pennsylvania, issued a statement on social media Sunday following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.
“For more than a decade, I lived undocumented in the US. Every day carried the same uncertainty and fear lived in my body – a tight chest, shallow breaths, racing heart,” Gisele wrote.
“What I thought was my private, chronic dread has now become a shared national wound.”
She continued her criticism of current enforcement tactics, stating, “This now-daily violence is not ‘law and order.’ It is terror inflicted on people who contribute, love and build their lives here. It’s devastatingly cruel and unAmerican.”
Notably, Sen. Fetterman has consistently endorsed President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies and dismissed concerns about her Brazilian upbringing while championing aggressive federal agent operations nationwide.
Things are going well in that house
— Breakwater76 (@breakwater76) January 26, 2026
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old US citizen and ICU nurse, was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
Federal officials stated Pretti “approached” Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun before the fatal encounter occurred.
This incident marked the second recent case of federal agents killing an American citizen in Minneapolis. Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot dead by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on January 7.
Democratic senators across the country, along with several Republican colleagues, have issued statements condemning the aggressive tactics employed by federal agents in Minnesota and other locations. However, Sen. Fetterman has not commented on either shooting incident.
President Trump addressed the Minneapolis shooting, telling reporters, “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it. But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully-loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”
Despite his current silence, Fetterman has repeatedly expressed support for ICE operations over the past two years.
In July 2025, he broke with Democratic Party colleagues by criticizing those who “vilified” the agency.
During a Fox News interview, the senator addressed an alleged coordinated attack on an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas, that occurred on July 4 of last year.
“Absolutely unacceptable. Terrible. Awful,” Fetterman said.
“ICE agents are just doing their job and I fully support that. For me and the people in my party, you know, to abolish it or treat them as criminals or anything, that’s inappropriate and outrageous. ICE performs an important, an important job for our nation.”
Days later, Fetterman reiterated his position on social media, writing, “ICE performs an important job for our country. Any calls to abolish ICE are 100 percent inappropriate and outrageous.”
https://twitter.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1943369815600644432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1943369815600644432%7Ctwgr%5E063130e3254b2987c564ed0ecbb0e1bb9acd408e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.digifection.com%2F2026%2F01%2F26%2Fa-fetterman-under-fire-sees-own-wife-turns-on-him%2F
His stance surprised many Democrats, as “Abolish ICE” had been a popular slogan within the progressive movement that helped elect him in 2022.
President Trump publicly praised Fetterman during a White House meeting with African leaders that same month.
“The new John Fetterman is exactly what you said – he’s right, he’s right,” Trump said during the meeting. “And we have to protect our police officers, and we will, and we have been.”
Speaking with the Daily Mail the following day, Fetterman responded that Trump’s praise probably “made my parents proud. They’re big Fox News viewers. My whole family is Republican.”
His position drew criticism from Annie Wu Henry, who handled his campaign’s social media efforts.
Henry posted a campaign video showing Fetterman taking the opposite view while discussing his own family.
“Ya know, I was asked, your wife’s family broke the law, what do you think of that? And I said, well I’m so grateful that they did because if they didn’t have the courage to take that step I wouldn’t have the 3 beautiful children that I have today.” https://t.co/Sz5HcjceDV pic.twitter.com/8vh0LhpRct
— Annie Wu (all socials: @annie_wu_22) (@Annie_Wu_22) July 10, 2025
In the video, Fetterman said, “Ya know, I was asked, ‘Your wife’s family broke the law, what do you think of that?’ I said, ‘Well I’m so grateful that they did because if they didn’t have the courage to take that step I wouldn’t have the three beautiful children that I have today.’”
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