US ICE agents try to force themselves into the Ecuadorean consulate in Minneapolis

A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent attempted to enter Ecuadors consulate in Minneapolis on Tuesday, January 27, but was prevented from doing so by consulate staff, Ecuadors Foreign Ministry has said.In a statement, the ministry said the attempted entry led it to issue a note of protest to the US Embassy in Quito, demanding that such incidents not be repeated. The statement described the episode as an attempted incursion into the Ecuadorean Consulate in Minneapolis by ICE agents.According to the ministry, consulate officials stopped the agents from entering the building, repeatedly informing them that they were not permitted access before securing the premises. The ministry said the actions of the consular staff ensured the protection of Ecuadorian nationals who were inside the building at the time.The incident occurred amid a mass deportation operation in Minnesota involving about 3,000 heavily armed ICE and US Border Patrol agents deployed under orders issued by President Donald Trump several weeks ago.Neither the US State Department nor the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and the Border Patrol, immediately responded to requests for comment.Eyewitnesses working in nearby retail shops said they saw immigration agents attempt to enter the consulate. One woman, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said she saw officers pursuing two people on the street who then went into the consulate. I saw the officers going after two people in the street, and then those people went into the consulate and the officers tried to go in after them, she said. She added that, from what she observed, the agents were unable to enter the building.Under international law, embassies and consular offices are considered sovereign territory of the sending state and are protected by diplomatic immunity from unauthorised entry by agents of another country.The immigration operation, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, has heightened tensions in Minneapolis. The enforcement drive has been linked to fatal shootings of two US citizens in the city, triggering weeks of protests in Minnesota and across the United States.Amid mounting political pressure to ease tensions, Trumps border czar, Tom Homan, met on Tuesday with the mayor of Minneapolis and the governor of Minnesota in an effort to defuse the situation. Watch the video below      View this post on Instagram           A post shared by Lindaikejiblog (@lindaikejiblogofficial) The post US ICE agents try to force themselves into the Ecuadorean consulate in Minneapolis appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.