ICE Agents Try To Enter Ecuadorian Consulate in Minneapolis
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempted to enter the Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis on Tuesday, prompting the country’s minister of foreign affairs to file a protest with the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador.
A video of the incident was posted online. It shows staff inside the consulate rushing to the door to prevent the agents from entering. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!” one man exclaimed. “This is the Ecuadorian consulate. You’re not allowed to enter.”
Ecuador’s foreign ministry issued a statement in Spanish about the incident. The following is an English translation of the statement:
REGARDING THE ATTEMPTED INCURSION INTO THE ECUADORIAN CONSULATE IN MINNEAPOLIS BY ICE AGENTS
This morning, the Ecuadorian Consul in Minneapolis reported that, at approximately 11:00 a.m., an agent from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempted to enter the Consulate premises.
Consulate officials immediately prevented the ICE officer from entering the consular office, thus guaranteeing the protection of the Ecuadorian citizens who were present at the consulate at that time and activating the emergency protocols issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility.
Therefore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic immediately submitted a letter of protest to the United States Embassy in Ecuador to ensure that acts of this nature are not repeated at any of Ecuador’s consular offices in the United States.
REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR
Generally speaking, officials from host countries need permission from consular staff to enter the premises. The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations – to which the U.S. is a party – states, “The authorities of the receiving State shall not enter that part of the consular premises which is used exclusively for the purpose of the work of the consular post except with the consent of the head of the consular post or of his designee or of the head of the diplomatic mission of the sending State.”
ICE and Border Patrol agents have swarmed the Twin Cities area in recent weeks as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown. On Saturday, Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis shot and killed Alex Pretti, who had been filming their activities in public. Earlier this month in the city, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good as she attempted to drive away from agents.
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