The Trump administration has said it will send 'hundreds more' federal officers to Minneapolis, days after the death of a woman who was shot by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in the city.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News that 'hundreds more' will be sent to the area 'in order to allow our ICE and our Border Patrol individuals that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely.'
Protests against immigration enforcement have been held in cities across the US after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot in her car on Wednesday. The Trump administration claims the agent acted in self-defense, while local officials insist the woman posed no danger.
Noem stated the officers will arrive 'today and tomorrow' and warned that action would be taken if people tried to obstruct their work.
'If they conduct violent activities against law enforcement, if they impede our operations, that's a crime, and we will hold them accountable to those consequences,' she stated.
Mass protests were reported in Minneapolis, attended by an estimated 'tens of thousands of people', and actions were also documented in other cities including Austin, Seattle, New York, and Los Angeles. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the protest as peaceful.
Despite this, police reported 31 arrests during protests. The tensions have been exacerbated by Mayor Frey’s assertion that Good's actions were mischaracterized, defending her against the label of 'domestic terrorism' that Notem applied.
Videos of the incident show ICE agents approaching Good’s vehicle and ordering her to exit. As she attempted to flee, the agents drew their weapons and shots were fired.
The FBI is looking into the shooting while local authorities have expressed concerns regarding their exclusion from federal investigations of the event.
