ICE agents spark diplomatic row after trying to force their way inside Ecuadorian consulate
ICE agents in Minneapolis have sparked a diplomatic row after armed officers were filmed attempting to force entry to the Ecuadorian consulate.
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The masked agents attempted to gain access to Ecuador's diplomatic headquarters in Minneapolis on Wednesday - a location protected under international law.
Footage emerging online shows consulate officials identifying the masked agents outside the building, before one official is seen running towards the door and blocking the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE) agents from accessing the building.
"Eh, eh, eh, eh, this is a consulate! You are not allowed in here!" the consulate official can be heard shouting, as multiple agents gather on the street outside.
The ICE agent can then be heard shouting: "Get back! Get back! If you touch me I will grab you!".
The ministry “immediately submitted a note 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,” it said in a statement released to the Washington Post.
The incident appears to be the latest overreach by ICE, as tensions continue to simmer in Minnesota following the fatal shooting of intensive care nurse Alex Pretti by immigration agents.
Read more: Trump vows to 'de-escalate' after fatal ICE shootings in Minnesota spark national outrage
The video, uploaded to social media on Wednesday, captures the consulate official informing the ICE agents that they are not permitted to step across the threshold.
"You cannot enter here, this is a Consulate. This is foreign government property!" he tells the agents.
The ICE agent responds: “Relax, relax. I haven't entered. If it's my turn, I'll react."
The incident comes as Donald Trump said he is "going to de-escalate a little bit" in Minnesota after two fatal ICE shootings have taken place in the state this month.
According to Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry, ICE officers attempted to enter the building around 11 am local time on Wednesday.
In line with the footage circulating online, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that officials blocked the officers’ entry to the Consulate, activating emergency protocols and “guaranteeing the protection of the Ecuadorian citizens who were present at the consulate at that time,” the ministry said.
Following the staffer's repeated calls, the ICE agents are seen to leave.
LBC has been unable to independently verify the video, but has reached out to the Ecuadorian Consulate and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
The footage captures the latest incident in Minneapolis involving masked agents, with immigration officers appearing to target the Ecuadorian and Latin American community.
On Tuesday, the US president faced continued outrage over his immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after officers shot dead ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, on Saturday.
The ICU nurse became the second US citizen to be killed in Minneapolis in the last three weeks after mother-of-three Renee Good was shot dead earlier this month.
It comes as it was revealed that Donald Trump plans to send ICE agents to Italy during the upcoming Winter Olympics - news that has been met with outrage by many officials in Milan.