Minneapolis police chief criticizes ICE tactics after chaotic arrest

Dec 18 (Reuters) – Minneapolis’s police chief criticized federal immigration enforcement tactics after a chaotic scene unfolded this week that involved an officer dragging a woman through a snowy city street.

Speaking to a local CBS News affiliate, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said ICE did not appear to take steps to de-escalate the situation as bystanders shouted at agents and threw snowballs on Monday. At one point, a federal officer drew his firearm and waved it at the crowd, according to video footage.

O’Hara said in a statement to Reuters that video footage of the woman pinned face-down in the snow and dragged through the street was “profoundly disturbing.”

“This egregious disregard for human dignity is appalling,” he said. “It is deeply concerning that there appears to be a lack of accountability from our federal partners.”

President Donald Trump’s administration has increased immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities in recent weeks. Trump called Somali immigrants there “garbage” and said they should be deported after dozens of people, including Somali immigrants, were charged in a fraud scheme.

Democrats in Minnesota have criticized the ICE push. O’Hara has said ICE tactics are stoking fear, including the practice of hiding their identities with masks and unmarked clothes.

ICE said in a statement to the local CBS affiliate on Tuesday that agents arrested two U.S. citizens for assaulting federal officers.

O’Hara said the scene was secure when his department’s officers arrived.

“Once that was determined that the scene was safe and there was no violence occurring, our officers disengaged from the scene,” he said.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Additional reporting by Kristina Cooke; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Chizu Nomiyama )