Police in Minnesota began arresting anti-ICE agitators outside a hotel Monday after authorities said the demonstration escalated and was “no longer considered peaceful,” prompting officers to declare an unlawful assembly.
The demonstrators were outside the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Maple Grove, Minnesota, where they believed US Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was staying.
President Donald Trump announced Bovino and many of his agents would be leaving Minneapolis as part of a reshuffling of leadership in carrying out his immigration crackdown amid bipartisan scrutiny over the immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis that intensified after agents killed an American recording Border Patrol activity over the weekend.
Border Czar Tom Homan is expected to now lead the effort in the state.
Maple Grove police said officers responded on Monday to reports of a protest at the hotel and that the protest escalated when agitators allegedly began throwing objects at officers and damaging property.
After police declared an unlawful assembly and issued a dispersal order, several people who refused to leave were arrested, authorities said.
“The Maple Grove Police Department respects and upholds the First Amendment rights of individuals to peacefully assemble and express their views. Our priority remains the safety and security of all residents, visitors, and property within our community,” a spokesperson for the police department said in a statement to KSTP.
“At that point, the activity was no longer considered peaceful. Individuals participating in criminal acts are not protected under the First Amendment and were subject to arrest,” the spokesperson added.
The Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and Hennepin Public Order Group all responded to the scene to assist Maple Grove officers.
The move to pull Bovino from Minneapolis came after he had faced backlash over his unsubstantiated claims that Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old U.S. citizen killed by Border Patrol agents, intended to “massacre” law enforcement, a characterization the White House has distanced the president from.
Pretti was shot and killed on Saturday by Border Patrol agents while recording federal immigration operations in Minneapolis. An ICU nurse, Pretti appeared to be attempting to attend to a woman agents knocked down when he was sprayed with an irritant, pushed to the ground and beaten.An agent was seen pulling Pretti’s gun from his waistband before other agents fired several shots and killed him.
Some reports stated Bovino was removed from his role as Border Patrol “commander-at-large” and will return to his former job as chief patrol agent in El Centro, California, but Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said he has “NOT been relieved of his duties” and remains a “key part of the President’s team.”
Bovino also reportedly had access to his social media accounts stripped over his public comments.
The White House also sought to distance itself from comments by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who called Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, who labeled the man as a “would-be assassin,” with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying she has “not heard the president characterize” Pretti that way.
The shooting of Pretti followed recent unrest over the ICE-involved killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this month.