Minneapolis’ police chief has condemned federal immigration agents after a confrontation with protesters and an attempted arrest of a woman during which an officer kneeled on her back while she was on a snow bank and attempted to drag her to a car.
Tensions are rising in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area as federal authorities continue an immigration crackdown targeting the Somali community, the largest in the country.
Video footage of the incident on Monday shows protesters yelling at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to release the woman, who they claimed was pregnant and unable to breathe. During the confrontation, an agent was seen dragging the woman by her arm across the intersection near a Somali business district, despite the crowd’s pleas to let her go.
“Let her go! Let her go!” onlookers shouted, and eventually, the woman was released.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara stated in a news conference on Tuesday that the Minneapolis police were alerted by a federal agent for assistance during the incident. Upon their arrival, O’Hara noted that there was no visible violence against federal officers and that they left in an effort to de-escalate the situation, commenting that “other law enforcement agencies” may be using “questionable methods.”
“We have been training our officers for the last five years very intensely on de-escalation,” O’Hara said. “But unfortunately, that is often not what we are seeing from other agencies in the city.”
Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, reported that federal officers aimed to apprehend a vehicle when they were confronted with violent protests, including thrown rocks and use of pepper spray that resulted in injuries to some officers. Two individuals were charged with assaulting federal officers and remain in custody.
According to McLaughlin, the attempted arrest was warranted because the woman allegedly tried to vandalize the ICE vehicle but was dropped when overwhelmed by the protesters.
Hodan Hassan, a former Minnesota state legislator, expressed concerns that ICE's tactics are becoming increasingly aggressive as operations in the area continue. “The first week, they were not very aggressive. They were stopping people. Second week, we saw them really aggressive,” she remarked.
The recent clash in south Minneapolis occurred near the site where George Floyd was killed by a police officer last year, which sparked widespread protests and calls for police reform nationwide.
