Homeland Security Secretary Accuses Democrats of Inciting Violence After Woman Killed by ICE
Kristi Noem. Credit: Carol Guzy / Zuma Press / Profimedia
The head of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, accused the Democrats on Sunday of encouraging violence against the officers of the immigration service (ICE), amid the growing anger that exists after the killing of a woman by a federal agent in Minneapolis, writes AFP.
Amid protests across the country following the death of Renee Nicole Good, Kristi Noem reiterated the Trump administration's position that the 37-year-old woman was a “domestic terrorist” and that the agent acted in self-defense when he fatally shot Good.
Several Democratic officials, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, vehemently disputed the administration's position, arguing that footage from the scene showed Good's car was moving away from the agents and did not pose a threat to their lives.
Woman killed by ICE agent in Minneapolis, described as a 'terrorist' by the Trump administration, was an award-winning poet, mother of three, 'a wonderful person'
“These local officials, if you look at what Governor Walz said, if you look at what Mayor Frey said, they've been extremely politicized and inappropriately talking about the situation on the ground in their city,” Noem told CNN on Sunday.
“They inflamed the public. They encouraged the kind of destruction and violence that we've seen in Minneapolis over the last few days,” she added.
After Wednesday's deadly incident, thousands of people came out to protest peacefully in several cities across the country.
Democratic officials claim that local investigators have been excluded from the investigation, which is being led by the FBI.
“It should be a neutral, unbiased investigation,” Frey told CNN.
He argues that the actions by which activists attempt to disrupt ICE operations are legitimate.
“You have to enforce the laws, of course, but there's also the requirement to enforce them (…) in a constitutional way,” added the Democratic mayor of Minneapolis.
