Federal officers in tactical gear went right into a Latino group in Minneapolis. A protest adopted

The protesters flocked to the realm close to a Mexican restaurant and different Latino-owned companies after seeing livestreams that claimed an immigration raid was underway, reflecting opposition to such raids in a metropolis that has declared itself a sanctuary for migrants. However, statements from native authorities stated it was not an immigration enforcement matter, however a legal case.

“While we are still gathering details, this incident was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement,” Mayor Jacob Frey stated in a Facebook put up quickly after the police motion. “No arrests were made.”

But a number of dozen protesters remained on the intersection occupied by federal brokers hours earlier, utilizing vehicles to dam visitors. A couple of held indicators saying “abolish ICE” and “stop the deportations.”

A driver went by the group. At least one individual appeared to have been knocked to the bottom however obtained up and stated they had been OK. Protesters deflated the automobile’s tires; police moved in to take the driving force away, and a scuffle ensued. At least one man was taken into custody.

Bystander video confirmed officers carrying logos from native businesses but additionally federal ones, together with the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. An armored automobile on the scene bore the initials of Homeland Security Investigations. Minneapolis’ police chief additionally was current.

Michelle Gross, president of the native Communities United Against Police Brutality group, stated the present of drive appeared designed to “terrorize people into submission.”

“This is jackbooted thuggery, and we aren’t having it in our city,” she stated.

Onlooker Jennifer Davila, who works locally, stated it already had been on edge due to raids. It’s tight-knit, and “if one thing occurs, we learn about it,” she stated.

“They had a white van, a black van and a tank. For a raid, that’s pretty excessive,” Davila stated. “And then coming into a brown community and doing this, because we have all kinds of immigrants, not just Latinos.”

While the mayor stated there have been no arrests, a number of protesters had been not less than quickly detained as tensions grew between the group and the regulation enforcement officers. A Minnesota Public Radio photographer was pepper-sprayed and had his digicam damaged.

A Facebook put up from the sheriff’s workplace stated it “partnered with federal agencies on a criminal investigation and part of that investigation included the execution of multiple search warrants at multiple locations in the metro area.”

Frey stated the police division’s solely function was serving to with crowd management, and that the division was not concerned in “anything related to immigration enforcement.” Both the police division and sheriff’s workplaces have insurance policies towards cooperating with immigration enforcement actions.

The sheriff’s workplace stated that in conducting legal investigations, “We work with federal partners regularly.” A neighborhood FBI spokesperson, Diana Freedman, declined in a textual content message to offer particulars concerning the operation.

Associated Press writers Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed reporting.

This article was generated from an automatic information company feed with out modifications to textual content.

See Less