FEDERAL AGENTS INVOLVED IN FATAL SHOOTING OF ALEX PRETTI IN MINNEAPOLIS PLACED ON LEAVE
TWO federal agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have been placed on leave, law enforcement officials tell the BBC
Pretti, a US citizen, was shot and killed on Saturday in an incident which has sparked ongoing protests
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump warns Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is “playing with fire” after Frey said “Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws”
Responding to Trump’s post on social media, Frey says “The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws”
Trump’s comments come after Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar was attacked at an event she was hosting on Tuesday, when an audience member used a syringe to spray an unknown liquid at her
Omar, a Democrat who has frequently clashed with the Trump administration over its immigration policies, was not hurt and continued to speak
Events in Minnesota continue to dominate the headlines following the deaths of two US citizens this month, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by US immigration enforcement agents.
Two officers involved in the altercation that led to Pretti’s shooting have now been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
“Border tsar” Tom Homan arrived in Minneapolis on Wednesday to run immigration enforcement operations after the departure of Greg Bovino, who was commanding border patrol agents before the death of Pretti. Homan will hold a press conference on Thursday morning.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi also arrived in the city on Wednesday, announcing that 16 people have been arrested charged with allegedly assaulting federal officers and impeding on federal immigration enforcement.
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Minneapolis ordered the government to release all refugees who have been arrested by immigration agents while awaiting their permanent residency documents.
In a strongly-worded ruling, Judge John Tunheim said refugees “are not committing crimes on our streets, nor did they illegally cross the border,” adding that the US had been “a haven of individual liberties”.
“We abandon that ideal when we subject our neighbors to fear and chaos,” he said. He ordered that refugees taken out of Minnesota be returned to the state.
Opposition to the Trump administration’s policies has not been confined to Minnesota. In Texas, clashes erupted between protesters and state and federal officers outside a detention facility where some of those detained in Minnesota has been taken.
Democrats in Congress are demanding immediate reforms to immigration enforcement and for the removal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. They plan to press ahead with impeachment proceedings against Noem if she doesn’t resign or isn’t sacked by Trump.
The fallout from the government’s handling of Good and Pretti’s killings also adds to the possibility of a federal shutdown as key Democrats have signalled they will not support a new spending package that increases funding for ICE.
BBC