Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has triggered a political firestorm this week after warning city officers they could be fired if they fail to intervene against what he deems “unlawful” or “excessive” force by federal immigration agents.
The directive immediately set Minneapolis on a collision course with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“If unlawful force is being used by any law enforcement officer against any person in this city and one of our officers is there, absolutely, I expect them to intervene, or they’ll be fired,” O’Hara said at a press conference, tying the policy to lessons the department claims it drew from the George Floyd incident.
“We’re not going to repeat that mistake with any agency, or otherwise.”
