- Federal agents used an unknown gas-like substance against the crowd.
- Protesters in front of the federal building demanded the departure of ICE from Minnesota.
- The federal government claims the agent acted in self-defense.
During protests against the shooting of a woman by an agent of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the city of Minneapolis, in the US state of Minnesota, there were clashes between protesters and members of the security forces on Thursday. TASR informs about it according to the reports of AFP, AP and CNN.
The people of Minneapolis already gathered on Wednesday evening at the place where an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good, who allegedly tried to ram her vehicle into ICE agents conducting a raid in that city.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims the agent acted in self-defense, a called the woman’s actions an act of domestic terrorism. US President Donald Trump also stated that the ICE agent apparently acted in self-defense. However, several representatives of the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota opposed the action of ICE.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the agent responsible for the woman’s death acted recklessly and rejected claims by the Department of Homeland Security that it was self-defense. According to him, ICE officers came to the city to cause chaos and cause mistrust. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz admitted that he shares the anger of the people, but he called on them to protest peacefully and not to be provoked by the federal government.
On Thursday morning, people began to gather in the parking lot near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, which houses several federal offices, including the immigration court. Protesters there chanted, held American flags and placards calling for ICE to leave Minnesota. According to AFP, a banner reading: “ICE=Murder” was also seen in the crowd.
About 50 members of the federal security forces, including border police, were deployed in front of the building, trying to push the protesters to the other side of the street. According to CNN, some agents tried to de-escalate their interactions with the protesters, while others allegedly verbally provoked them and pushed them to the ground. The protesters expressed their anger and called the security forces “Nazis and murderers”.
Among others, a CNN journalist reported on the clashes between the protesters and the security forces from the place of the protest, according to which federal agents used an unknown gas-like substance against those gathered. Footage from the protest shows plumes of smoke and people coughing.
