ICE killings: the fallout?
The ICE officers involved in the fatal shooting in Minneapolis at the weekend have been placed on administrative leave, a spokesperson for the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency has confirmed. US President Donald Trump had recently attempted to de-escalate the tense situation in the city, describing the death of intensive care nurse Alex Pretti as a "very unfortunate incident".
Violence testifies to a weak state
ICE's brutality is not an expression of strength, writes Gazeta Wyborcza:
“Political thinking from Hobbes to Weber to Arendt posits that violence is not proof of the strength of a state, but rather a sign of its erosion. A stable state does not need to escalate because its authority works in the background. The law is enforced routinely and without theatrical gestures – for the state is a serious institution and not a private security agency. Escalation occurs when the state has to rely on shock, fear and pressure, and it is always an admission of defeat.”
Attack on free society
ICE has crossed a line, says philosopher Mihály Szilágyi-Gál in Transtelex:
“Among the countless reactions are those of Republican hardliners who support the use of weapons, including the deeply conservative NRA (National Rifle Association), which can hardly be described as a left-wing agitator. ... They sense that it is no longer just the homeless who are being targeted, who are suffering the stigma of illegal immigration, but they themselves, everyone who lives and moves around here, free American society. Because you can never know who the person on the street is. ... And accepting this ignorance is freedom.”
Trump wants to be loved
For the Frankfurter Rundschau it's clear that Trump cares about something else besides power:
“One might see the reshuffle in Minneapolis as a purely cosmetic measure. ... Trump has not announced any change of course regarding ICE's often random and aggressive arrests. And we're hearing no public criticism from him of the people who created the brutal anti-immigration policy. ... And yet the resistance has achieved a victory. Trump has hinted that, unlike the autocrats of Russia, China and Hungary, he is concerned about his popularity with the people. Once again we've seen that the 79-year-old doesn't only crave power. To put it in rather cheesy terms: he also wants to be loved.”
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.”