Early Thursday, tensions persisted in Minneapolis as protesters clashed with law enforcement in the streets. This incident followed the second shooting involving a federal officer in the city within a week.
The Department of Homeland Security reported that a federal law enforcement officer shot a person who allegedly fled a traffic stop. The officer then engaged in a struggle with the person and two other individuals.
Federal agents deployed tear gas at protesters outside the Whipple Building in Minneapolis as the protests persisted. The federal building serves as the headquarters for ICE operations.
Federal agents deployed tear gas during Wednesday night’s protests, resulting in the hospitalization of two children, including a six-month-old, as reported by the Minneapolis Office of Community Safety.
The infant was inside a vehicle that was hit by tear gas and began to experience “breathing difficulties,” according to the agency.
President Donald Trump slammed Minnesota’s Democratic leaders over the unrest in the state. On Truth Social, he said the “Troublemakers, Agitators, and Insurrectionists are, in many cases, highly paid professionals.”
“The Governor and Mayor don’t know what to do, they have totally lost control, and our currently being rendered, USELESS! If, and when, I am forced to act, it will be solved, QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY!,” Trump said.
Trump told reporters on Friday that he believes he doesn’t need to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota at this time. This decision comes despite his recent threats to use the act against protestors in the state who are protesting against ICE.
“If I needed it, I’d use it. I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I’d use it. It’s very powerful,” he said.
Minnesota Mayor Jacob Frey slammed ICE and the Trump administration on Friday.
“This is not about immigration. This is about sewing chaos on the streets of Minnesota,” Frey said. “We in Minneapolis are suffering the brunt of it right now.”
The mayor added that as soon as federal agents leave, “we will have peace, we will have safety and order will be restored.”
