Residents of Minneapolis in the United States have reacted to the announcement of the withdrawal of 700 agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that a "softer approach" might be necessary regarding immigration, the U.S. administration clarifies that even with the withdrawal of these federal agents from Minnesota, mass deportations will not cease.
“Personally, I think everything this administration says is a lie. I find everything they tell us questionable, and I’m skeptical. This is happening all over the country, not just in Minneapolis. I find it hard to believe they’ll do what they say they’re going to do. And it doesn’t really matter. ICE needs to be abolished,” said Amber Isham, a psychotherapist.
“It’s clearly a good thing that there’s a reduction, but the number is less than a third of the force here. And the number that was reduced is still more than what we have in terms of civilian police force here in Minneapolis. So it’s not a substantial reduction in my opinion. I agree with everything my wife said. But yes, it looks like a soothing announcement at best,” added Jeffrey Isham, who works in technology.
The shooting deaths of two protesters by federal agents in Minneapolis last month sparked a wave of outrage in the United States and calls to end raids on immigrants in the Midwestern city.
Alongside the announcement of the withdrawal, President Trump's border official, Tom Homan, also stated that the controversial deployment would continue, with approximately 2,000 agents remaining on site after the withdrawal.
"Their job is supposed to make us safer. They make everything dangerous. Their job seems to be to instill fear," said Vickie Matthias Hagen, a Minneapolis-area resident.
The mayor of Minneapolis and the governor of Minnesota, both Democrats, called the announcement of the city's withdrawal "not a step in the right direction," but urged the federal government to accelerate the pace of reducing its immigration operations in the state.
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