(Minneapolis) Thousands of people gathered Thursday in Minneapolis, where immigration police shot and killed a woman the day before, in an act described by the White House as “self-defense”, which demonstrators and elected Democrats contest.
Published at
Updated to
In a separate incident that is likely to fuel tensions, two people were injured in Portland, Oregon, by border police shooting.
Before that, Vice President JD Vance insisted that the police officer who shot and killed a 37-year-old American woman in Minneapolis acted to protect his life and that of his colleagues, while the victim tried to run them over by car.
But this version is firmly contested by the local Democratic opposition, which denounces the “propaganda” of the Trump administration, based on several videos.
Hundreds of people gathered Thursday in the suburbs of this Democratic stronghold to protest against the immigration police (ICE), the main tool of the Trump administration’s large-scale expulsion policy.
Protests also took place in several other US cities, including Washington and New York.
In Portland, two people were admitted to hospital “following a shooting involving federal agents,” municipal police said.
It took place during a police check on a car, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which says the passenger is an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant linked to the Tren de Aragua gang.
The two occupants tried to “run over the police”, who responded, the ministry claims on X, offering an official account close to that provided in Minneapolis.
“Dangerous left-wing movement”
In this Minnesota city, several people were arrested Thursday after clashes between protesters and police in front of a federal building.
Hundreds of residents also gathered peacefully at the scene of Wednesday’s shootings, where a memorial was improvised on the snow with candles and dozens of bouquets of flowers. “Hate does not make us great,” reads a discreet poster in green ink.
Abdinasir Abdullahi, 38, an American citizen for around fifteen years, of Ethiopian origin, told AFP of the climate of fear caused by these raids by the immigration police, affirming that he no longer travels without his passport. “They don’t believe me if I say I’m American. They don’t want to believe you,” he says.
Questioned by AFP during a demonstration in Minneapolis, Shanda Copeland, 62, believes that “it cannot continue like this”. “I can’t sit at home and watch and do nothing,” she adds.
A fundraiser already totaling more than a million dollars has been launched to support the family of the victim, Renee Nicole Good.
Photos of this smiling, blonde mother of three were posted in the streets of Minneapolis, with the words “Murdered by ICE.” »
PHOTO CHARLY TRIBALLEAU, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A photo is on display at a makeshift memorial to Renee Nicole Good, who was shot at point-blank range on Jan. 7 by an ICE agent.
In Washington, the White House continued to defend the action of its agents and denounced “a dangerous left-wing movement” which is carrying out “an organized assault” across the country against the police.
“Bullshit”
It was less than two kilometers from the site of Renee Nicole Good’s death that George Floyd, an African-American, was killed in 2020 by a white police officer, provoking weeks of anti-racist protests across the United States.
PHOTO TOM BAKER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A bullet hole was visible in the windshield of the SUV the victim was driving Wednesday.
The events that shook the large Minnesota city on Thursday took place Wednesday morning, while ICE was carrying out a vast series of operations.
To challenge the official thesis, described as “bullshit” by Mayor Jacob Frey, local elected officials rely on videos from witnesses showing the scene from different angles.
We see the victim’s SUV blocking the passage of an ICE convoy. Then several police officers ask the driver to get out of her vehicle. One of them tries to open the door. But, as the car restarts to move away from the officers, a police officer placed on the front left of the vehicle opens fire several times.
The FBI is solely responsible for the investigation.
On several occasions in recent months, people have died, often accidentally, while trying to escape ICE checks.
Officers also repeatedly shot at drivers who tried to run them over, according to the administration’s version, leaving at least one dead in September in Chicago.
