(Minneapolis) The shock operation carried out for two months in Minnesota by thousands of agents of the federal immigration police (ICE) and the border police to arrest and expel migrants will soon “conclude”.
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What you need to know
- The controversial operation carried out for two months in Minnesota by agents of the federal immigration police (ICE) and the border police is nearing its conclusion.
- The American administration claims that the intervention was a “success” even if it was punctuated by numerous acts of violence, including the death of two American citizens shot at point blank range.
- Democratic elected officials want to force a review of the methods used by agents by blocking the granting of a new budget to the Department of Homeland Security.
The “border czar” of the United States, Tom Homan, made the announcement on Thursday, noting that a marked reduction in the number of troops on the ground had already been carried out this week and would continue until the end of next week.
The announcement came as elected officials in Congress sought to find an agreement to extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which expires this Friday.
The Democratic camp, which criticizes the violent actions of federal agents, including the shooting deaths of two American citizens protesting against their presence, is demanding a review of their practices before releasing new funds.
Jill Hasday, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, notes that you would have to be “foolish” not to understand that there is a link between Mr. Homan’s announcement and the budget impasse.
The latter refrained from displaying any political calculation of this nature in his intervention, insisting instead on the fact that the operation in Minnesota had been a “success”.
He said thousands of migrants had been apprehended despite the actions of protesters described as “agitators”.
Tim Walz thanks protesters
The representative of the American administration also assured that local authorities had worked with federal agents in recent weeks by transferring migrants detained for crimes.
The claim drew a denial from law enforcement in Minnesota’s largest county, which is a sanctuary state limiting collaboration with federal authorities on immigration issues.
Governor Tim Walz, who denounced the harmful climate caused by the presence of ICE, welcomed Tom Homan’s announcement.
He thanked his fellow citizens for their determination while specifying that he had no intention of expressing the slightest gratitude to those responsible for the “assault against the State” for their decision.
The politician specified that it would also take a long time for the population to recover from the action of federal agents, who targeted both large urban centers and rural regions.
PHOTO STEVE KARNOWSKI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gov. Tim Walz at the state Capitol in Saint Paul, Minn., on Thursday
They have caused deep damage, generational trauma. They left us with a catastrophic economic situation.
Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota
The governor also raised questions about the progress of the investigations into the deaths of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
Several American media, including the New York Timesreported efforts by senior US administration officials to limit their scope and prevent potentially embarrassing conclusions regarding the actions of the agents in question.
A “catastrophic” operation
Mme Hasday believes that the federal operation was generally “catastrophic” from a legal point of view.
She mentions in particular the fact that federal agents entered residences without a judicial warrant, flouting a clear constitutional requirement.
Several residents of the state were also brutalized while exercising their duty to demonstrate, deplores the lawyer, who considers it important to tighten the practices of federal agents to avoid a repetition elsewhere in the country of the abuses observed in Minnesota.
PHOTO ROBERTO SCHMIDT, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Protesters fend off tear gas canisters thrown by Minneapolis police officers during an anti-ICE rally in late January.
In addition to recognizing the need for these mandates, federal agencies must, says Mme Hasday, stop carrying out operations targeting migrants in establishments like schools, hospitals and churches traditionally considered off-limits.
“This is one of the reasons why the operation was so disruptive and terrifying” for the targeted population, notes the academic, who also considers it important to force ICE agents to operate without masks.
Democratic blockage
Democrats in Congress put forward a list of ten demands regarding the practices of federal agents that echo those of the academic, but failed to reach an agreement with their Republican counterparts.
They agreed two weeks ago to vote on the budget envelopes for several departments while limiting to a period of two weeks that approved for the Department of Homeland Security, to which ICE falls, pending the outcome of the talks.
If the exercise is not completed before the end of the day this Friday, several agencies overseen by the Department will have their funding suspended.
Elected officials, however, argued that ICE would not be directly affected because of funds worth tens of billions of dollars already released as part of a major budget law approved last year.
The Republican camp argues that a lasting blockage will particularly harm the operations of the Coast Guard and the agency responsible for air transport security.
Democratic leaders, for their part, maintain that there will be no agreement until “dramatic changes” are achieved regarding ICE and the Border Patrol.
