Hi everyone-
Human Events had reporters out on the ground in Minneapolis last night at the scene of a second ICE shooting in the city. This time, ICE attempted to arrest a Venezuelan illegal immigrant with a detainer only to have him assault them with a shovel as protesters egged him on. Officers shot and the man was injured and transported to a local hospital. Then all hell broke loose.
Rioters took to the streets in frigid temperatures, surrounding ICE agents, and wrecking their vehicles. Gas was deployed, so were flash bangs, and fires sprung up in the dark against a backdrop of snow and ice. ICE agents were chased away, and Antifa agitators stormed in, stealing documents and even weapons from the cars. Even as this riot was getting started, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the protesters were "engaging in unlawful acts."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke out about the events that were unfolding in North Minneapolis, saying that Minneapolis cops were being pitted against federal agents. "We cannot be at a place right now in America where we have two governmental entities that are literally fighting one another," he said. He determined that ICE is "creating chaos" and that Trump (of course) is to blame.
He puts no blame at all on the sanctuary city policies that forbid local law enforcement from turning over illegal immigrant criminals for deportation. If officers could work with the feds, none of this would be happening: ICE agents would not be in the street looking for the illegal immigrant criminals MPD has released back onto the street.
Governor Tim Walz was perhaps the most egregious as he took the tack that he was proud of the protesters and encouraged them to go do more protesting. This was before the riot broke out, but not before rioters, agitators, and protesters had been out in the streets for five days in freezing temperatures to protest ICE after Renee Good's death.
Walz told Minnesotans to track down and film ICE agents, that Trump's chaos, violence and confusion. He said, "We must protest loudly, urgently, and also peacefully." It was just a few hours later that a violent stand-off in North Minneapolis saw Minnesota National Guard, Minneapolis Police, and ICE agents all out in the street trying to prevent total chaos caused by agitators who set fires, smashed windows, and stole from federal officers.
Libby