From Daily Mail: A Minnesota district court judge ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents cannot detain or tear gas peaceful protesters.
Judge Kate Menendez, a Joe Biden appointee, noted that people observing the agents […] are also not allowed to be detained.
While the ruling comes amid weeks of volatile protest against ICE in Minnesota, Menendez’s ruling came in a case filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists.
The ruling prohibits the officers from detaining drivers and passengers in vehicles when there is no reasonable suspicion they are obstructing or interfering with the officers.
The ruling said that safely following agents ‘”at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop.”
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Daily Mail, “The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly – not rioting. DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters. We remind the public that rioting is dangerous—obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony.”
“Rioters and terrorists have assaulted law enforcement, launched fireworks at them, slashed the tires of their vehicles, and vandalized federal property. Others have chosen to ignore commands and have attempted to impede law enforcement operations and used their vehicles as weapons against our officers,” McLaughlin said.
“Assaulting and obstructing law enforcement is a felony. Despite these grave threats and dangerous situations our law enforcement as followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property.”
Read more at Daily Mail
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