The public disagreement between the president of the United States and the local leader intensified the immigration crisis, while violent incidents and federal operations keep the city under surveillance and generate international repercussions
Immigration tension in Minneapolis increased after the confrontation between the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the city's mayor, Jacob Frey, over the local administration's refusal to collaborate with federal agents in the application of immigration laws. The dispute escalated on Wednesday, when Trump publicly warned Frey that he was “playing with fire” by rejecting cooperation with federal politics, a statement he reiterated on his Truth Social platform.
The city, with a population of nearly 400,000, remains on alert after two American citizens, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, and Renee Good, were killed by federal agents in separate incidents. Pretti's death, which occurred during protests near his home, has generated a profound social and political impact. Images verified by media such as Reuters and AFP contradict the initial version of the authorities, showing Pretti with a phone in his hand when he was killed, and that the weapon he was carrying was not drawn before the shots were fired.
The reaction of the federal government was immediate. Trump, pressured by the magnitude of the protests and international attention, announced the replacement of border police chief Gregory Bovino with presidential emissary Tom Homan, promising to adopt less aggressive and more focused tactics. Observers and activists indicated that, although in recent hours there was an apparent reduction in the number of raids and a more selective approach, operations continued on Wednesday with caravans of agents visiting homes and businesses in search of specific people. If they did not find them, the agents withdrew without making mass arrests, unlike previous weeks.
The political climate became even more tense after the attack suffered by Democratic congresswoman of Somali origin Ilhan Omar, who was doused with a nauseating liquid during a public event while demanding the abolition of the immigration agency (ICE) and the resignation of the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. Omar was unharmed and the attacker was arrested by local police.
The immigration controversy transcended the national level. Ecuador's foreign ministry formally protested at the US embassy after an ICE agent attempted to enter the Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis. In addition, Washington allies such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed concern about the level of violence recorded in the United States.
Trump, who had promised before his reelection to intensify operations against undocumented immigrants, faces growing criticism, even from his own party. Several Republican legislators have requested independent investigations into Pretti's death, while Democratic sectors denounce that the deployment of federal agents violates democratic principles. Presidential adviser Stephen Miller, architect of the administration's immigration policy, admitted that agents “may not have followed” all protocols during the operation that ended with Pretti's death.
In parallel, the Minnesota justice system intervened to stop the expulsion of a five-year-old Ecuadorian minor and his father, detained the previous week. The image of the boy, identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, wearing a blue hat with rabbit ears in front of an immigration agent, went viral and amplified the public debate.
The Trump administration also faced institutional resistance. A Minnesota judge vowed to quickly rule on the state attorney general's request to suspend the raids, while communication between volunteer groups monitoring ICE and the Border Patrol has adapted to prevent infiltration by federal agents, now operating in more segmented local networks.
Local authorities emphasize that the main function of municipal police is to protect citizens and not to enforce federal immigration laws. The persistence of the operations and the community response have transformed Minneapolis into a focus of national and international conflict over United States immigration policy.
(With information from Reuters and AFP)
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