By Robin Respaut and Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to “under no circumstances” get involved with protests in Democratic-led cities unless they ask for federal help or federal property is threatened.
The announcement follows weeks of unrest and protests sparked by a large deployment of Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Minnesota, and the killings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents who said they were reacting to threats.
Many observers have said bystander videos contradict those claims of self-defense. Video footage of Pretti’s death, verified by Reuters, undercuts Trump administration claims that he brandished a weapon before officers fatally shot him.
Activists and demonstrators opposed to Trump’s immigration enforcement crackdown have tried to closely follow immigration officers in Minneapolis and other communities.
Although the president’s new order would seem to have DHS avoid confrontations with protesters in the street and during raids, ICE and Border Patrol will act aggressively to protect federal buildings, Trump wrote on social media.
“We will not allow our Courthouses, Federal Buildings, or anything else under our protection, to be damaged in any way, shape, or form,” he posted.
The Department of Homeland Security, as well as the offices of Minnesota Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, did not immediately return requests for comment.
Cities must protect their own state and local properties, Trump wrote. He also put the onus on state and municipal officials to help protect federal property.
The federal government will provide help if requested, Trump wrote, adding that it would “take care of the situation very easily and methodically.”
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis and other U.S. cities on Friday to demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agencies from Minnesota, following the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti.
The Trump administration had sent 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis area as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration, and many of those officials found themselves facing off with protesters and activists.
It was the most recent example of Trump’s willingness to use federal personnel in cities. He has sent federal law enforcement officers or National Guard members to a number of cities largely governed by Democrats, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon.
Trump has said the moves are necessary to enforce immigration laws and control crime. Local leaders in most of those cities have disputed that assertion.
Minnesota officials have been calling on the Trump administration to end its immigration crackdown in the state. A federal judge on Saturday denied a request from Ellison and other officials to issue a preliminary injunction that would have halted the federal operation.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward and Robin Respaut in Washington; Editing by Nia Williams, Sergio Non and Alistair Bell)
Comments