On January 27, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent made an effort to breach the Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis; however, consulate personnel successfully obstructed their access, according to Ecuador's Foreign Ministry.
The ministry issued a formal protest note to the US Embassy located in Quito following the incident, insisting that such actions should not be repeated. They categorized the event as an "attempted incursion into the Ecuadorean Consulate in Minneapolis by ICE agents."
Employees at the consulate barred the agents from entering the premises, consistently informing them that they were not allowed to enter before securing the building. The ministry highlighted that the consulate staff's interventions guaranteed the safety of Ecuadorian nationals present at the location during the occurrence.
This episode unfolded against the backdrop of a substantial deportation initiative in Minnesota, which involved approximately 3,000 heavily armed ICE and US Border Patrol agents deployed as part of directives from President Donald Trump issued weeks earlier.
The US State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, which supervises both ICE and Border Patrol, have yet to respond to requests for comments about this incident.
Witnesses from nearby shops indicated they observed the immigration agents trying to access the consulate. One individual, who wished to remain anonymous due to concerns about repercussions, recounted witnessing officers chasing two individuals on the street before they entered the consulate. "I saw the officers going after two people in the street, and then those people went into the consulate, and the officers attempted to follow them inside," she said, noting that the agents were unable to gain entry.
International law considers embassies and consular offices as the sovereign territory of their respective nations, providing them diplomatic immunity against unauthorized intrusions by foreign agents.
The immigration operation, known as Operation Metro Surge, has intensified tensions in Minneapolis, relating to the fatal shootings of two US citizens in the area, which has led to weeks of protests throughout Minnesota and across the United States.
In the wake of escalating political pressure to calm the situation, Trump’s border adviser Tom Homan met with the mayor of Minneapolis and the governor of Minnesota on Tuesday in an attempt to alleviate the rising tensions.
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