U.S. court: ICE may use pepper spray and make arrests
Minnesota, January 22 (Hibya) – A U.S. appeals court has temporarily lifted restrictions imposed by a federal judge in Minnesota that had barred ICE agents from using pepper spray on peaceful protesters and arresting them.
In a decision seen as a victory for the Trump administration, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday granted the Justice Department’s request to administratively stay a temporary restraining order issued last Friday by Judge Katherine Menendez.
Menendez’s temporary restraining order would have prohibited ICE agents from retaliating against peaceful protesters, arresting or detaining individuals participating in peaceful protests, using pepper spray or similar non-lethal munitions and crowd-control measures, and stopping or detaining drivers without reasonable cause.
When imposing the restrictions, Menendez had ruled that the actions of federal immigration agents had a “chilling effect” on protesters’ First Amendment rights.
Following Menendez’s preventive order last week, the Department of Homeland Security defended ICE’s tactics. Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said: “The Department of Homeland Security is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”
The Eighth Circuit’s latest decision coincides with Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Minneapolis on Thursday. According to the White House, Vance will “host a roundtable with local leaders and community members and deliver remarks focused on restoring law and order in Minneapolis.”
Usa News Agency
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