Protesters gathered in Minneapolis, marking four weeks since Alex Pretti was shot by federal immigration officers.
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters chanted “ICE out” as they marched from Whittier Park. They expressed some optimism over a shift in immigration enforcement since Pretti’s death, but were adamant that protests will continue.
Shannon Born and Finn McAfee, a mother and son, joined the protest to show solidarity.
“For me, this is about Alex and being with this community and marching towards where that happened. Yeah, it’s very emotional,” said Born.
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“I just want to be here to support the people that need it, and use our privilege to help them,” said McAfee.
FBI evidence decision
The protest followed the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s (BCA) announcement that the FBI will not share evidence related to Pretti’s killing with state investigators. The BCA called the FBI’s decision “concerning and unprecedented.”
“Astonishing. It’s disgusting. This is, yeah, just speechless, actually,” said Born. “It just seems like there is no justice, and things are just getting swept under the rug, and hoping people will just move on and not sharing evidence and all that. And it is, it’s terrifying.”
Wes, a volunteer with MN50501, commented on the situation.
“I mean, it’s not surprising to me… I would love for that to happen, but I have no confidence in that happening. No,” said Wes, asked for his take on the FBI’s unwillingness to share evidence with state investigators.
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A “shift” in enforcement
It’s been an eventful few weeks since Pretti’s death, beginning days later with the removal of Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino from his role as the face of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota after inflaming the community with unsubstantiated claims about Pretti.
In the first week of February, White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced the start of an ICE drawdown and the beginning of the end of its Minnesota-based operation. On Friday, U.S. lawmakers from Minnesota said fewer than 500 agents remained, down from 3,000 federal agents at the height of the operation. Homan’s stated goal is to return to the typical footprint of 150 agents.
“I think there was definitely a shift. So while we’re nowhere near claiming victory, you know, we’re feeling a lot better,” said Wes on Saturday.
“If we were seeing activity comparable to September or October, then I would exhale. But again, we’re not interested in pulling back, I don’t think anymore,” he added.
Push for reform
Democrats in Washington, D.C., are pushing for ICE reform, including requiring agents to unmask and identify themselves, and use judicial warrants to enter homes. These requests are at the center of a partial government shutdown, which began a week ago Saturday.
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In St. Paul, Mayor Kaohly Her signed an ordinance to bar law enforcement officers from wearing masks that obscure their identity. The ordinance, passed unanimously by the city council, will take effect March 13.
“It’s not the end of the fight right now,” said Morgan Budiandri, a volunteer with the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).
“I just want people to remember all the victims who were killed by ICE, to remember Renee Good, to remember Alex Pretti. And I want people to, you know, remember that this is, you know, not the end of our fight despite this drawdown. We still need to show up and care about our neighbors.”
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reached out to federal officials again on Saturday for comment on their decision not to share evidence with state investigators, but has not received a response.
Protestors leading the march on Saturday said they will continue their efforts, at least if/until immigration enforcement agents leave Minnesota entirely. At least two more protests are planned for next week.
A United Airlines flight bound for Minneapolis from Chicago was reportedly diverted after an “unruly passenger” tried to breach the cockpit late on Friday.
The FBI and police responded to reports of a security concern with the passenger, who was detained by police at the Dane county regional airport in Madison, Wisconsin.
The flight continued its journey to Minneapolis, landing early on Saturday morning, according to FlightAware data. There were no reported injuries among the 147 passengers and six crew members onboard the flight.
A United spokesperson said flight 2005 “landed safely in Madison … to address a security concern with an unruly passenger”.
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The FBI in Milwaukee said the agency was notified of the flight’s diversion, and its agents, along with local law enforcement, responded to the airport.
“A subject was detained by the [local] sheriff’s office, and afterwards passengers resumed their flight,” an FBI spokesperson said.
In air traffic communications reported by NBC News, personnel onboard the plane could be heard discussing the attempted cockpit breach with ground control.
“I do not believe they ever cuffed him, but they were able to finally get control of him after multiple attempts to try to breach the cockpit,” a member of the crew said. “I believe at this point he is seated in a seat and flanked with law enforcement officers on either side.”
Aircraft hijackings are almost unheard of in the US since the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, when four aircraft were taken over by Islamic extremists, including two that crashed into and destroyed New York’s World Trade Center.
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But between 1968 and 1972, known as hijacking’s so-called golden age, more than 130 US planes were hijacked. Many of those hijackers demanded to be flown to Cuba.
CHICAGO (WLS) — A United Airlines flight that left Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Friday was diverted due to an unruly passenger, officials said.
United flight 2005 from Chicago was headed to Minneapolis but landed in Madison, Wisconsin.
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“United flight 2005 from Chicago to Minneapolis landed safely in Madison, Wisconsin to address a security concern with an unruly passenger,” the airline said in a statement. “The flight is expected to continue to Minneapolis later on Friday.”
An ICE agent facing several assault charges in connection with a January shooting involving two Venezuelan people in Minnesota has been arrested in Texas, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.
Christian Castro was charged earlier this month with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
CNN is working to determine whether Castro has an attorney and has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Castro faces those charges in connection with the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man shot in the leg through the front door of a Minneapolis home. The incident took place during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement blitz in the Twin Cities.
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Originally, Sosa-Celis and his cousin Alfredo A. Aljorna were facing federal charges after DHS said they had attacked an agent, prompting him to fire a defensive shot.
But the Justice Department dropped the charges in February, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement said two of its agents, who made false statements about the incident under oath, were placed on administrative leave.
