WASHINGTON: US immigration agents may have breached “protocol” in Minneapolis before the fatal shooting of a nurse during protests, President Donald Trump’s senior aide Stephen Miller said Tuesday — days after falsely branding the victim an assassin.
The admission comes as Trump says he wants to de-escalate the situation in Minneapolis following the killing of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti during a protest against an immigration crackdown on Saturday.
Deputy Chief of Staff Miller, a powerful figure who leads Trump’s hardline immigration policy, said in a statement to AFP that the White House was now looking into the possible breach.
He said the White House had provided “clear guidance” that extra personnel were sent to Minnesota to protect deportation agents and “create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.”
“We are evaluating why the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) team may not have been following that protocol,” Miller said.
