Protests take hold in Minneapolis after second ICE shooting in space of a week

Protests against immigration enforcement have been reignited in Minneapolis after a federal officer shot a man in the leg on Wednesday.

According to US federal authorities, shots were fired by the immigration officer after he was attacked with a shovel and a broom while trying to apprehend an illegal Venezuelan immigrant.

It follows the death of Renee Good, who was shot in the head by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in the city on January 7.

The US Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday’s incident happened when federal officers stopped a person from Venezuela who was in the US illegally.

The person drove away and crashed into a parked car before taking off on foot, but when officers reached them they were attacked by the individual and two others, authorities said.

A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement. / Credit: AP

The department continued: “Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life.”

It said the man shot in the leg was in hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, while the two other people are in custody.

Crowds gathered near the site of Wednesday’s shooting, with protesters throwing rocks and shooting fireworks. Police wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference that the gathering was an unlawful assembly and “people need to leave”.

Sustained protests have taken place on the streets of Minneapolis since the fatal shooting of Renee Good, amid an immigration crackdown in the city involving thousands of federal immigration officers.

Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday. / Credit: AP

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the situation as not “sustainable”.

He said: “This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order.”

Frey described a federal force that is five times as big as the city’s 600-officer police force has “invaded” the city, scaring and angering residents.