The government of Ecuador has condemned what it described as an attempt by a US federal immigration agent to enter the Ecuadorean consulate in Minneapolis.
The agent was prevented from gaining access by consular officials, who acted “to guarantee the protection of the Ecuadoreans who were inside the consulate at the time”, a statement by Ecuador’s foreign ministry said.
Ecuador, whose president is an ally of Trump, has filed an official complaint.
The incident comes at a time of high tension in the US city, just days after intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was shot dead by border agents during protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Ecuador’s foreign ministry said in a statement that an agent of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) had “tried to enter the premises of the consulate” at 11:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
Under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, consular premises are considered “inviolable”.
According to the Convention, the authorities of the country where the consulate is located “shall not enter” the parts of the consulate used for work “except with the consent of the head of the consular post”.
Ecuador said that its officials had not consented to ICE entering the consulate.
While the Vienna Convention goes on to say that consent may be assumed in certain cases, they are limited to incidents where “prompt protective action” is required, such as in the case of a fire or some other disaster.
In a video shared by Ecuadorean media, which has not been independently verified by the BBC, a consular official can be seen rushing to the entrance door and telling an ICE agent “this is the consulate, you’re not allowed in here”.
The agent tells the official that “if you touch me, I will grab you”.
The consular official then states again that “you can not enter here, this is a consulate, this is a foreign government’s office”, before closing the door.
In its statement, Ecuador’s foreign ministry said that it had “immediately” handed an official letter of protest to the US embassy in Quito.
The protest letter constitutes a rare note of discord between Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa and the Trump administration.
Just over two months ago, the presidents agreed to strengthen their countries’ commercial and economic relationship and Noboa has in the past thanked Trump for designating two Ecuadorean criminal gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organisations.
The actions of immigration and border agents in Minneapolis – in particular the fatal shooting of Pretti on 24 January and that of Renee Good a few weeks earlier – have triggered protests in the city and beyond.
On Tuesday, President Trump said he would “de-escalate” immigration and border operations “a little bit” in Minnesota.
There are currently 3,000 immigration agents and officers in the region.
Securing the US’s borders and implementing tougher enforcement of immigration rules has been one of Trump’s top priorities.
According to a 20 January statement by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, her department removed “more than 675,000 illegal aliens” from the US since Trump was sworn in to a second term a year ago.
By BBC News
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