An internal memo from Immigration and Customs Enforcement instructs officers in Minneapolis to avoid interacting with “agitators,” according to internal documents reviewed by Reuters.
“DO NOT COMMUNICATE OR ENGAGE WITH AGITATORS,” the email from a top official read. “It serves no purpose other than inflaming the situation. No one is going to convince the other. The only communication should be the officers issuing commands.”
The new directive also instructs officers to only target immigrants with a criminal history, including charges and convictions, which it calls a “criminal nexus.”
“We are moving to targeted enforcement of aliens with a criminal history,” it read. “This includes arrests, not just convictions. ALL TARGETS MUST HAVE A CRIMINAL NEXUS.”
When asked for comment by Reuters, a spokesperson for the White House said the “guidance” should only be considered policy when it is “officially issued.”
“There are ongoing conversations on how to most effectively conduct operations in Minnesota,” the spokesperson said.
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The internal memo is the latest sign of policy reversal from the Trump administration following the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by ICE officers in Minneapolis.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, the former “commander-at-large” in Minneapolis, left his role following the shooting of Pretti, whom he alleged was attempting “to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Pressure for change has also come from conservative voices in Congress. Senators Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have called for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to step down in the wake of events in Minneapolis.
“I think what she’s done in Minnesota should be disqualifying. She should be out of a job,” Tillis said.
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