(Minneapolis) New protests are expected Thursday in Minneapolis, where an immigration agent shot and killed an American mother, sparking outrage among local officials who rejected the Trump administration’s claims of an act of “self-defense” in the face of “domestic terrorism.”
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According to the Trump administration, the victim, a 37-year-old woman, attempted to kill police officers with her car. This version of the facts is vigorously contested, with supporting videos, by the local authorities.
Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey called federal officials’ accounts “bullshit,” saying the driver never posed a danger to anyone.
“We have been dreading this moment from the beginning” of ICE’s presence in the city, he continued, adding that he had “a message” for them: “get the hell out of Minneapolis!” “.
The governor of the state of Minnesota, former candidate for the vice presidency of the United States, Tim Walz, posted on social networks: “Don’t believe this propaganda machine” from the federal authorities.
Wednesday evening, several thousand people gathered at the scene of the tragedy to pay tribute to the victim. “There is no reason, whatever this person did, that he deserves to be killed,” a participant told local channel WCCO.
On social media, members of Congress like Eric Swalwell called the woman’s death a “murder” and demanded accountability from federal officials.
Since Tuesday, the federal immigration police (ICE) have been carrying out a vast series of operations involving around 2,000 police officers in this large city in the northern United States and its suburbs.
During one operation, “rioters began to block the agents,” the US Department of Homeland Security reported in a statement.
One of the protesters then “transformed her vehicle into a weapon, attempting to overthrow our police with the intention of killing them – an act of domestic terrorism,” the text continues.
“An ICE agent, fearing for his life, the lives of his colleagues, and the safety of the public, fired shots in self-defense,” the department added.
The driver of the vehicle died after the shooting.
In a video circulating on social networks, not authenticated by AFP, we see law enforcement officers heading towards an SUV vehicle on a snowy road. Then the car begins to maneuver, when gunshots ring out. The vehicle then collided with another, parked a few meters away.
In another video, taken from a different angle, we see a police officer trying to open the door on the driver’s side. The car reverses and then moves forward again. Another police officer placed in front of the vehicle then opened fire. Witnesses shout: “Assassins!” “.
The FBI is responsible for the investigation. A local newspaper identified the victim as Renée Nicole Good, 37, an American national.
Posters appeared in Minneapolis with the photo of this blonde mother, above the words: “Murdered by ICE”.
“This situation is being examined, in its entirety, but the reason these incidents are occurring is because the radical left threatens, attacks and targets law enforcement and immigration officers on a daily basis,” Donald Trump justified on his Truth Social network.
“I want every ICE agent to know that their president, their vice president and the entire administration supports them,” Vice President JD Vance said on X before adding: “We are going to work even harder to enforce the law.”
In a press conference Wednesday evening, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the victim had “followed and obstructed (police) work throughout the day.”
She added that the immigration officer who opened fire had, during a previous operation in June, been hit by a car “and dragged for several meters”.
Donald Trump has made the fight against illegal immigration one of the main axes of his domestic policy.
ICE launched a massive recruitment drive last summer, attracting around 10,000 new agents – sparking fears about their lack of training.
Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, some $70 million has been spent by this federal agency in the categories “small arms, ammunition and accessories.”
On several occasions in recent months, people have died, often accidentally, while trying to escape controls.
