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2d ago

ICE Tactics Face Backlash in Minneapolis After Video Shows Woman Dragged

ACLU litigation intensifies legal and oversight pressure on a federal surge across the Twin Cities.

Artist David Solnit painted a monarch butterfly outside the United States Appraisers Building in protest of Immigration Customs and Enforcement. 
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Protesters singing songs outside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services entrance of the United States Appraisers Building. 
Faith leaders and community members chained themselves outside the United States Appraisers Building entrance in protest of Immigration Customs and Enforcement.

Overview

  • Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said his officers found no ongoing violence against agents and disengaged, criticizing federal tactics as inconsistent with the city’s de-escalation training.
  • ICE and DHS said agents were swarmed, assaulted, and injured during the Dec. 15 stop, reporting two U.S. citizens arrested for assault; Hennepin County deputies said they did not witness attacks or injured agents.
  • Bystander and news videos show agents restraining a woman face down in the snow and dragging her, with agents deploying pepper spray, pepper balls, and a taser that struck into the crowd.
  • ICE said the operation targeted an Ecuadorian couple, with the woman now in custody in Illinois, and alleged the woman who was dragged tried to vandalize a vehicle, a claim a witness disputed.
  • The ACLU of Minnesota sued federal immigration authorities, alleging routine violations of protesters’ and observers’ constitutional rights and signaling a push for a temporary restraining order against ICE practices.