WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to “under no circumstances” get involved with protests in Democratic-led cities unless they ask for federal help or federal property is threatened.
The announcement follows weeks of unrest and protests sparked by a large deployment of Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Minnesota, and the killings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents who said they were reacting to threats.
Many observers have said bystander videos contradict those claims of self-defense. Video footage of Pretti’s death, verified by Reuters, undercuts Trump administration claims that he brandished a weapon before officers fatally shot him.
Activists and demonstrators opposed to Trump’s immigration enforcement crackdown have tried to closely follow immigration officers in Minneapolis and other communities.
Although the president’s new order would seem to have DHS avoid confrontations with protesters in the street and during raids, ICE and Border Patrol will act aggressively to protect federal buildings, Trump wrote on social media.
