Vice President JD Vance backs ICE agents in Minneapolis, blaming local leaders for chaos amid protests over a fatal shooting and child detentions.
MINNEAPOLIS: Vice President JD Vance delivered a broad defence of federal immigration agents leading an aggressive enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
He blamed “far-left agitators” and uncooperative local officials for the chaos on city streets.
Vance’s visit marked a renewed White House effort to win public support for its immigration crackdown.
Flanked by federal officers, he repeated his assertion that Renee Good “rammed” her car into an ICE officer before she was fatally shot on January 7.
“I think that Renee Good’s death is a tragedy,” he said. “I also think that she rammed an ICE officer with her car.”
Analyses of bystander video show Good’s wheels were turned away from the officer and his legs were clear of the vehicle when he fired.
Democratic leaders in Minnesota have rejected Vance’s account, and state authorities have launched an investigation.
In a separate incident, school officials said immigration officers detained a 5-year-old boy on Tuesday.
Vance accused the media of misrepresenting the event, saying the boy was left behind when his father tried to flee.
“What are they supposed to do?” he said. “Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death?”
A city council member said the boy watched masked agents take his father before being directed to the back door of his home.
A lawyer for the family said his clients from Ecuador were in the U.S. legally and had applied for asylum in 2024.
The lawyer denied the father tried to flee and said school officials had offered to take in the boy.
Minneapolis has been on edge as federal officers round up suspects, sometimes ensnaring law-abiding citizens and immigrants.
Democratic officials, including Mayor Jacob Frey, have accused the administration of deliberately stoking unrest.
Vance said local officials’ refusal to aid immigration agents was to blame for the chaos.
Speaking separately, Frey said the city welcomes cooperation to catch violent criminals but not “hunting down a dad, who did nothing wrong.”
“If we’re looking for an antidote… it’s for this huge influx of federal agents… to go home,” the mayor said.
Frey defended city ordinances barring local police from directly assisting federal agents in immigration enforcement.
He said he received no invitation from the vice president to meet during his Minneapolis visit.
“Give me a call,” Frey said. “JD Vance can feel free to reach out.”
The administration has shown no sign of backing down, with officials announcing three arrests connected to a church protest.
There are some 3,000 federal law enforcement officers in Minnesota as part of the operation.
Vance said President Donald Trump does not see the need “right now” to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops.
