Minneapolis protesters burned the American flag in the streets of the Twin Cities after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot a woman dead in her car.
A man in a tan jacket was seen waving a burning upside-down American flag in front of a large group of protesters on Wednesday, just hours after a 37-year-old woman was shot dead by ICE.
The protesters were reportedly shouting anti-ICE chants as the act occurred.
It is not illegal to burn an American flag, as it is considered a form of symbolic speech, the Supreme Court ruled in 1989.
An upside-down flag is typically symbolic of a sign of distress and political upset, Oregon Public Broadcasting said.
Protesters also threw snowballs at federal agents as tensions between the government and the Democratic city have heightened in recent weeks as the Department of Homeland Security conducts its largest operation ‘ever.’
Protesters looked delighted while throwing the snow-packed balls from the side of the streets after Mayor Jacob Frey told the federal agency to ‘get the f**k out of Minneapolis.’
The rioters also made a makeshift memorial for the woman, planting a wooden cross into the ground and covering the area with fresh flowers.
A man in a tan jacket was seen waving a burning upside down American flag in front of a large group of protesters on Wednesday, just hours after a 37-year-old woman was shot dead by ICE
Protesters also threw snowballs at federal agents as tensions between the government and the Democratic city have heightened
Law enforcement used tear gas and pepper spray on protesters. One man was seen squeezing his eyes shut after being hit with a chemical spray in Minneapolis
A 37-year-old white woman was fatally shot in the head by an ICE agent on Wednesday after she made ‘an attempt to kill’ officers during their operations in Minneapolis, Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
Public officials, including Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara, have disputed DHS’ version of events, with Governor Tim Walz calling it ‘propaganda.’
The woman has not been publicly identified. The ICE officer shot at her car three times, officials said.
Hundreds of ICE agents were at the corner of 33rd and Portland Avenue today as immigration tensions continue to rise in the Midwestern city.
Law enforcement used tear gas and pepper spray on protesters.
Local police also put up metal barriers to separate protesters from federal agents.
McLaughlin said the ICE agent escalated the situation with the woman, who has not been publicly identified, because he was ‘fearing for his own life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement, and the safety of the public.’
‘He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers,’ she said in a statement, describing the gunshots as ‘defensive shots.’
‘Thankfully, the ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.’
The woman’s burgundy SUV was seen with a bullet hole through the driver’s side windshield. After being shot, the woman crashed into a pole and damaged two parked cars.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a press conference that officers had been stuck in the snow due to severe weather in the city.
‘They were attempting to push out their vehicle when a woman attacked them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle,’ she said.
‘An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively shot to protect himself and the people around him.’
However, local police chief Brian O’Hara said the woman was in her vehicle and blocking the road. Then federal law enforcement approached her and the vehicle began to drive off.
Two shots were fired before the vehicle crashed, O’Hara said.
Governor Walz asked citizens to ‘remain calm’ as he slammed the DHS’s version of events as ‘propaganda’
Governor Walz asked citizens to ‘remain calm’ as he slammed the DHS’s version of events as ‘propaganda.’
‘The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice,’ he wrote on X.
‘Don’t believe this propaganda machine.’
Walz threatened to deploy the National Guard and told the troops to prepared for deployment to Minneapolis, he said at a press conference on Wednesday.
‘We have soldiers in training and prepared to be deployed if necessary,’ he said.
‘They are teachers in your community, they’re business owners, they’re construction professionals, they are Minnesotans.
‘Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight. We will not take the bait.’
The White House, however, stands by its agency, calling the ICE agents ‘brave men and women’ who ‘risk everything to keep our communities safe.’