Thousands took to the streets of Minneapolis, Portland and other US cities to protest against the Customs and Immigration Enforcement Agency after an activist defending migrants was killed after resisting arrest by its officers.
More than 1,000 protests were scheduled over the weekend over the killing of 37-year-old activist Renee Goode in Minneapolis, as well as over the injuries of two Venezuelan immigrants by border agents outside a hospital in Portland.
Organizers had chosen a call for the expulsion of the federal agency as the slogan of the protest and said that the armed incidents demonstrate “a disturbing pattern of uncontrolled violence and abuses by federal immigration enforcement agencies.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the “vast majority” of the protests were peaceful. He has been a leading advocate for the removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, from the city, a position he has held since before the death of Renee Goode.
Protesters in the city took to the streets and demonstrated outside hotels where ICE agents are believed to be staying. They chanted, beat drums and banged pots. Police reported objects thrown, windows broken and an officer injured by a piece of ice.
Protests were also held in New York, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and many smaller cities across the country. No serious incidents were reported.
The New World Trump's is dangerous but offers opportunities, former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has argued in a commentary for the “Sunday Times“.
Keir Starmer's predecessor believes we are living in some of the most dangerous times in living memory, but at the same time they offer great opportunities for change.
The old world order is dead, but nothing has yet replaced it, and history teaches us that these transitions are often bloody and unpredictable - there are currently 60 active conflicts in the world, the most since World War II. The global stability that was fundamental to the operating model of so many businesses is gone and will not return, Rishi Sunak commented. For the first time in 40 years, the US has a credible economic, technological and military rival. In 100 years, no country had exceeded 70% of America's gross domestic product, until China did did so in 2020.
In Trump’s second term, the US is fundamentally changing the nature of its own role, Rishi Sunak continues. There are clear, moral arguments for removing Nicolas Maduro, but the disturbing thing is that his aim was not to allow Venezuelans to be governed by those they voted for, but to ensure that oil production is increased. Even more worrying are the US threats to Greenland, the sovereign territory of a NATO ally. Who can feel safe when an ally is being threatened, asks the former British prime minister. He points out that the US is more interested in being alone than in leading an alliance, and that will make the world a more dangerous place.
“It was the Western alliance that won the Cold War, and the scale and mutual support that an alliance provides is our best chance of countering China in this age of full-spectrum competition”, Sunak stated. He is urging Britons to become more resilient, and this will require greater investment in security, both nationally and corporately. “I support British troops playing a role in providing security for Ukraine. But a world in which we will have to be more assertive in defending our interests and values will require more hard power. That means a sharp shift in defence spending. We need to be closer to 4% rather than 2% of GDP. But national strength does not come just from military preparedness, but also from economic and technological strength“, wrote Rishi Sunak in the “Sunday Times“..