In the US media, experts are currently discussing the extent to which the operation was justified based on video recordings from the scene of the incident. Former US Vice President Mike Pence called for a “thorough investigation” and at the same time warned against hasty conclusions: “What happened in Minnesota is a tragedy, but we should be careful about making hasty judgments.”
After the fatal incident, there were protests at the scene. Hundreds of people gathered on Wednesday afternoon (local time), chanted slogans against ICE and called for the officers to be withdrawn from the city. According to media reports, there were also rallies in other cities.
An ICE operation in Minneapolis and St. Paul involving more than 2,000 federal agents, according to the Department of Homeland Security, has been underway for several days. According to the authorities, the aim of the operations is to investigate suspected fraud, including in the Somali community. US media are discussing whether the reason given by the authorities serves as a pretext for a politically motivated tightening of immigration policy.
Governor Walz called on the population to express their protest after the shooting peacefully, “like you always do.” He warned of chaotic situations. “When we see things like this happen – and we saw this after the murder of George Floyd – there are people who want to create chaos.” The Minneapolis school board said schools will be closed Thursday and Friday “out of an abundance of caution.” All programs and activities would also be canceled.
The killing of the African American Floyd in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis in 2020 sparked demonstrations against racism and police violence in the USA.
