US immigration agents might have breached “protocol” in Minneapolis before shooting dead a nurse during protests, a senior White House aide said on Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump suggested he would “de-escalate a little bit” in the city.
The comments came the same day a man sprayed US Representative Ilhan Omar with a syringe of unknown liquid at a Minneapolis town hall meeting, where she called for curbing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller said the administration is evaluating whether the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who gunned down 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Saturday failed to follow “clear guidance” to “create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.”
Photo: AFP
“We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol,” Miller said in a statement, although the White House later said Miller was referring to “general guidance” to immigration agents in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Trump told Fox News that the administration was “going to de-escalate a little bit” its operations in Minneapolis, adding that the plan was not a “pullback.”
He said that CBP commander Gregory Bovino, who is now expected to leave the city, was “a pretty out-there kind of a guy” whose presence might not have helped the situation.
Trump also told reporters that he rejected the “assassin” label previously used by Miller to describe Pretti, adding that he wants “a very honorable and honest investigation.”
Still, tensions remained high in Minneapolis after Omar, a Democrat, was attacked by a man at a constituent town hall on Tuesday night.
Omar had just spoken about the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and demanded that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “resign or face impeachment,” when the man sprang from the front row, made a remark and sprayed the lawmaker with liquid from a syringe as security leapt to grab him.
Omar raised a fist and stepped toward the attacker before returning to the podium to say: “Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand: We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw on us.”
Omar is a frequent target of Trump, who continues to defend Noem, despite her oversight of federal agents who shot and killed two US citizens this month.
Minneapolis police immediately arrested the man, identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, and booked him at the county jail for third-degree assault, spokesperson Trevor Folke said. Forensic scientists responded to the scene.
Omar continued the town hall for about 25 more minutes after the man was ushered out by security, saying she would not be intimidated.
There was a strong, vinegar-like smell after the man pushed on the syringe, a witness said.
Photos of the device, which fell to the ground when he was tackled, showed what appeared to be a light-brown liquid inside. There was no immediate word from officials on what it was.
Omar later wrote on X: “I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win.”
Additional reporting by AP
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