(AFP) – An officer in Minneapolis shot dead a woman Wednesday who US officials accused of trying to ram federal immigration agents with her vehicle, a claim forcefully rejected by the city’s mayor. Jacob Frey, the mayor, called the federal government’s claim that agents were acting in self-defense “bullshit” and called on ICE officers conducting raids to get out of Minneapolis.
A video of the incident, which has not been verified by AFP, shows a Honda SUV apparently blocking unmarked law enforcement vehicles as they attempt to drive down a snow-covered street. The driver, who the mayor said was a 37-year-old woman, attempted to drive off as officers walked over and tried to open the door, with one agent firing three times with a handgun as the vehicle pulled away from him. The incident occurred during protest action against an apparent immigration enforcement activity in the south of the city in Minnesota, local media reported.
“Attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them — an act of domestic terrorism,” the Department of Homeland Security, which runs ICE, said on X. “An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots.” The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. The ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.
Minneapolis Mayor Frey said “we’ve dreaded this moment since the early stages of this ICE presence in Minneapolis.” The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension would be involved in the investigation into the shooting, as would the FBI, officials said. Large crowds chanting anti-ICE slogans formed near the scene of the shooting, local news outlets showed.
There have been passionate protests in some cities against the immigration enforcement operations of the Trump administration, which has vowed to arrest and deport what it says are “millions” of undocumented migrants. The DHS called the violence a “direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers.” The shooting reportedly occurred at 34th Street and Portland Avenue in Minneapolis.
Nearby, ICE officers were seen pepper-spraying and shoving protesters during immigration enforcement operations in South Minneapolis, footage broadcast by local CBS affiliate WCCO showed. Dozens of protesters and bystanders were seen on the scene after the incident. “There’s no way whatever this person did that they deserved to be killed for it,” one bystander told the broadcaster.
Trump has made preventing unlawful immigration and expelling undocumented migrants top priorities during his second term and has tightened conditions for entering the United States and obtaining visas. During his campaign, Trump likened undocumented migrants to “animals,” frequently linking them, without evidence, to criminal behavior. ICE — which critics accuse of transforming into a paramilitary force under Trump — has been tasked with deporting an unprecedented number of undocumented migrants during the Republican’s second term.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz urged the public to “remain calm” as his team gathered information on the shooting. Trump’s White House called Minneapolis Mayor Frey a “scumbag” for comments after the shooting in which he accused ICE of “causing chaos and distrust.”
– Gregory WALTON
© 2024 AFP
