Greg Bovino Throws Gas Grenade at Lawful Protesters After Court Lifts Restrictions on ICE Use of Force
The Minnesota Star-Tribune described "plumes of green and gray smoke" that "burst over the crowd."
US Customs and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino on Tuesday was caught on video throwing a gas grenade at lawful protesters in Minneapolis on the same day that a court temporarily lifted restrictions on federal immigration agents' use of force in the Twin Cities.
As reported by the Minnesota Star-Tribune, Bovino hurled a gas canister at protesters who had gathered at Mueller Park in the Minneapolis neighborhood of Whittier.
After Bovino threw the can, the Star-Tribune wrote, "plumes of green and gray smoke burst over the crowd," causing protesters and observers to flee the scene.
According to NBC News' Maggie Vespa, the attack on the protesters began shortly after Bovino and other immigration agents were denied service at a local Speedway gas station. As they exited the station, they were "swarmed" by demonstrators, and the situation "devolved" from there.
In addition to lobbing gas at protesters, immigration agents were also seen deploying chemical spray on protesters and observers. In one case, an agent was caught on video spraying a person directly in their eyes even after they had already been brought to the ground and restrained by fellow officers.
The ICE agents' use of gas and chemical spray on protesters came shortly after the 8th Circuit US Court of Appeals froze an earlier ruling from US District Judge Katherine Menendez that had barred federal agents from using such forms of force on peaceful protesters.
According to Twin Cities-based local news station Fox 9, Menendez's restraining order also prohibited federal officials from arresting observers who were following them from a safe distance in their cars.
Minnesota has been under siege from federal immigration agents over the last three weeks, and tensions between officers and local residents spiked after a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot Minneapolis resident Renee Good on January 7.
Vice President JD Vance, who has vehemently defended the shooting despite video evidence calling into question the claim that it was in self-defense, is scheduled to visit Minneapolis on Thursday to express further support for ICE.
