Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said hundreds of federal agents are being deployed to Minneapolis, where a woman was shot and killed, sparking clashes over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“We will be sending additional officers today and tomorrow,” Noem said. fox information’ Sunday morning futures When asked about the government’s response. “They will arrive — hundreds more will arrive so that our ICE and Border Patrol agents working in Minneapolis can do their job safely.”
Protests erupted in Minneapolis on January 7 after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Goode during a tense confrontation. Thousands of people marched to the scene of the shooting on Saturday.
Read more: Thousands march to scene of Minneapolis shooting to protest against ICE
Noem again warned senior administration officials that those who try to obstruct federal law enforcement risk arrest and criminal prosecution.
“If they impede our operations, that is a crime and we will hold them accountable for those consequences,” she said.
Goode’s fatal shooting sparked a heated national debate over whether the officer’s use of deadly force was justified. The Trump administration and other supporters of ICE agents believe Goode acted in self-defense when his SUV sped forward. Noem said he followed the training.
Critics, including Minnesota officials, law enforcement experts and civil rights advocates, noted that video footage and eyewitness accounts did not show an imminent threat and called the shooting unjustified.
State and federal officials on Sunday called for a lowering of the political temperature as each side broadly blamed the other for the circumstances that led to the woman’s death.
“I certainly have a responsibility to bring the temperature down,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said on NBC. Meet the media. However, he said, “The way the Trump administration is currently using these agencies is wrong and, unequivocally, unconstitutional.”
“This was clearly a law enforcement operation and the officer acted in accordance with his training to protect himself, his life and his colleagues,” Noem said on CNN. state of the union address. Goode’s death shows “why we need our leaders to reject their rhetoric,” she said, referring to local leaders in Minnesota.
Hundreds of protesters spent hours Friday night outside a local hotel in downtown Minneapolis believed to be home to federal agents as part of a social media-fueled movement called “No Sleep for ICE.” Demonstrators armed with musical instruments, air horns and other noise makers chanted slogans and played music while passing cars honked their horns and shouted for ICE to get out of the city.