Mass protests in Minneapolis over fatal shooting of ICE agent
On Saturday, 10 January, tens of thousands of people took part in a massive march in the US city of Minneapolis against the actions of the federal migration service following the death of 37-year-old Renee Goode. The woman was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during an incident that took place on Wednesday, 8 January. The protest in Minneapolis was part of more than a thousand actions planned across the country over the weekend to protest the federal government's deportation policy, according to Reuters.
A column of demonstrators led by dancers from indigenous Mexican communities marched towards the residential street where Renee Goode was shot dead in her car. Police estimate the number of participants to be in the tens of thousands. People chanted the name of the deceased and slogans calling for an end to ICE's activities in the communities
Minnesota authorities called the use of force unjustified, citing eyewitness video showing Goode's car driving away from the agent at the time of the shooting. The US Department of Homeland Security insists that the officer acted in self-defence, as the driver allegedly moved towards the agents after being asked to get out of the car. The incident occurred shortly after about 2,000 federal law enforcement officers arrived in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in the largest ICE operation on record
Protests have spread to other US cities, including Philadelphia, New York and Portland. In total, civil society and human rights organisations announced more than 1,000 events under the slogan ICE Out For Good. Most of the actions were peaceful, although in Minneapolis, property damage worth about $6,000 and 29 arrests were recorded.
A separate tension was caused by an incident when three Democratic congressmen were not allowed to enter the regional ICE office. The lawmakers claimed a violation of federal law, while the Department of Homeland Security explained the restrictions by security concerns and the lack of prior notice of the visit
Фото: CNN
