First ICE officers withdraw from Minneapolis
After the fatal shootings by ICE officers in Minneapolis, some immigration and border control agents will be withdrawn from the city, Mayor Jacob Frey announced following a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump. Trump also contradicted members of the administration who had described Alex Pretti, the nurse who was shot on the weekend, as a would-be assassin, calling Pretti's death a " very unfortunate incident". Will the tensions in the US calm down now?
Threat of civil war still looms
The mood in the country remains tense despite Trump's conciliatory tone, Der Standard comments:
“The situation has now calmed down somewhat. ... Court rulings and resistance among the population had slowed down ICE. And in Minnesota, too, Trump is now striking a conciliatory tone for the first time, and he has also removed the highly controversial border control commander Gregory Bovino from Minnesota. ... However, this does not solve the problem, nor does it eliminate the threat of civil war. Rumour has it that Trump and ICE could target Philadelphia next.”
Beware of populists
On Spotmedia, journalist Emilian Isaila says people need to learn from what happened here:
“The chaos Trump is causing should come as no surprise to anyone. But it would be good if we learned from these painful experiences. ... People need to learn to stop falling into the trap of populists, whatever their political colours may be. They should understand that the personality and character of political leaders can change the world around us faster, more radically and more profoundly than the rules of conduct, traditions and laws of a democratic society can.”
Ku Klux Klan-style racism
Avvenire is reminded of dark times:
“In the background, a strategy is clear. One that resembles that of all populist movements in the Western world. It plays on the plight of the socially disadvantaged, caused supposedly by certain aspects of immigration and exploited for electoral purposes. The idea is not to find solutions, but to stir up and exploit fears. ... It is a cruel and class-based strategy that exploits the divisions among the weakest and aims to portray all immigrants as criminals: people who should be constantly monitored, brought to their knees and beaten. The videos of the last few days speak for themselves, showing racism worthy of the Ku Klux Klan.”