Overview
- Ecuador’s foreign ministry says a U.S. immigration officer tried to enter its Minneapolis consulate around 11 a.m. Tuesday before staff prevented entry, activated emergency protocols, and lodged a formal note of protest with the U.S. Embassy in Quito.
- Video shared online shows a consular employee blocking the door as an officer says, “If you touch me, I will grab you,” while nearby witnesses reported agents pursuing people who then ran into the consulate.
- Legal experts point to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which generally bars host‑country authorities from entering consular premises without consent except in emergencies.
- The State Department and DHS/ICE did not initially comment, and DHS later told KSTP it has no record of ICE or Border Patrol near the consulate at that time and is checking with other federal agencies.
- The incident unfolded during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, a large federal deployment linked to mass arrests and the recent fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti that have fueled protests and investigations.