Some of the tactics ICE agents have used in Minneapolis against peaceful demonstrators including tear-gassing and arrests, should be curbed, a federal judge has ordered.
It comes amid US President Donald Trump‘s weeks-long crackdown on immigration in Minneapolis and St Paul which saw the deployment of thousands of federal officers and more than 2,500 arrests.
Minneapolis has been hit by a wave of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since an agent fatally shot mother-of-three Renee Nicole Good, who was 37 when she was killed on 7 January.
Protesters were also angered by another incident on Wednesday in Minneapolis, when a federal officer shot a man in the leg after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle.
Kate Menendez, a US district judge in Minnesota, issued an injunction barring federal agents from retaliating against individuals engaged in non-violent, unobstructive protest activity.
The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed against the US Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies on 17 December.
The court case was brought on behalf of six protesters and observers who claimed their constitutional rights had been infringed by the actions of ICE agents.
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Meanwhile, Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey are being investigated over an alleged conspiracy to impede federal immigration agents.
According to sources, the Justice Department has launched a probe into whether statements by Mr Walz and Mr Frey sought to block federal agents from carrying out immigration enforcement.
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“This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets,” Mr Frey said in a statement to Sky’s US partner network NBC News.
“I will not be intimidated. My focus will remain where it’s always been: keeping our city safe.”
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In response to reports of the investigation, Mr Walz said in a statement: “Weaponising the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic.”
