From Newsgroup: alt.law-enforcement

Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tell CBS News
Tuesday there are now 800 U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in
the Minneapolis area. That's in addition to 2,000 other ICE and federal
agents already in the state for what officials call the "largest DHS
operation in history."

And again on Tuesday, protesters have clashed with agents at the Whipple Federal Building following the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Renee Good
by an ICE agent.

On Monday afternoon, WCCO's Esme Murphy sat down with U.S. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino to discuss the ICE crackdown in Minnesota, the
widespread backlash and what the future holds in the Twin Cities and
beyond. In Monday's interview, Bovino defended the operation in
Minnesota amid the state's move to fight back with a lawsuit.

Bovino describes the current situation in stark contrast to many local political leaders and protestors, saying more federal law enforcement is
coming to Minnesota to make ICE agents and the community safer.

"People are scared to death about what's going on on the streets of Minneapolis," Murphy said. "What do you say to those people who are
genuinely worried?"

"Sure, those individuals that are worried, if they're United States
citizens or legal permanent residents, or have some type of legal status
to be or remain here in the United States, there's no reason to be
scared," Bovino said. "However, if they are a criminal alien or an
illegal alien, then they should probably be very scared."

Bovino did not address the many reports of WCCO has covered involving
American citizens being detained, as well as those with work permits. As
for Good's killing last week, Bovino said the ICE agent was in "a very difficult, untenable situation."

"He did what he had to do to ensure that his life was saved," Bovino
said. "I think for the viewers and members of the public, that agent had
no clue that that was going to happen, but he was put into that violent situation and reacted when a 4,000-pound missile came right at him."

The missile Bovino is referring to: the Honda Pilot that Good was
driving when she was shot multiple times at close range by ICE officer
Jonathan Ross.

Bovino says his agents have faced more attacks in the Twin Cities than
anywhere else, ranging from assaults to taunting. When Bovino and his
agents went to use the restroom at a Target store in St. Paul, they met
with a torrent of cursing and boos.

"A lot of unfriendly individuals out there, a lot of violence against
ICE and Border Patrol. We're not going to put up with that," Bovino
said.

He says, despite the protests, he is convinced that most Americans and Minnesotans support ICE's actions.

"We're glad to be here, and for those 90% to 95% of Minnesotans that,
that like us here, we salute you, we respect you and we love you," he
said.

WCCO has not been able to find any recent Minnesota-centered polling on
ICE's activities, but a national YouGov poll this month says 52% of
Americans disagree with the ICE operations.

Bovino says there is no end date for this operation, describing it as an open-ended mission.

Below is the full transcript of their Monday discussion. Click here to
watch the full interview.

Esme Murphy: Commander Bovino, let me ask you first, as somebody who's
been reporting here for a long time, people are scared to death about
what's going on on the streets of Minneapolis, and they're scared that
they might get hurt, their loved ones might get hurt, maybe their
cleaning lady gets deported. What do you say to those people who are
genuinely worried?

Commander Greg Bovino: Sure, well, those individuals that are worried,
if they're United States citizens or legal permanent residents or have
some type of legal status to be or remain here in the United States,
there's no reason to be scared. However, if they are a criminal alien or
an illegal alien, then they should probably be very scared, because we
are here conducting a Title 8 immigration mission. So to those that are
scared and they're looking for a solution or an answer to this, those
illegal aliens, there is one that's called the CBP Home app. And with
thousands of law enforcement officers, ICE, Homeland Security
Investigations, Border Patrol, CBP on the ground here, I would highly,
highly ask them to utilize that CBP Home app so that they can get in
line and do it the right way. Many of these legal residents come up to
us and say, "Wow, you know, I spent many years doing it the right way.
Why is this individual not doing it the right way?" That's all we're
asking, and we're giving them a fantastic opportunity to do that.

Murphy: I have to ask you about the Renee Good shooting. And I think
what's created so much attention is that there are all these multiple
videos. You obviously have seen the videos, as have all your people. Do
you feel this was a justified shooting by the ICE agent?

Bovino: I feel that that ICE agent was in a very, a very difficult,
untenable situation, and he did what he had to do to ensure that his
life was saved. But let's take that a step farther. The lives of others
were saved, whether that was members of the public and/or other law
enforcement officers. We have to remember that those situations are not,
it's 360 degrees, like I always say. That's a 360-degree situation,
crowds forming, known violence, a lot of things happening there that
that individual, that individual police officer or ICE agent, has to
make in a very difficult environment. So when they make those decisions,
you know, they didn't put themselves in that situation knowing that was
going to happen. They had no clue that was going to happen. I think for
the viewers and members of the public, that agent had no clue that that
was going to happen, but he was put into that violent situation and
reacted when a 4,000-pound missile came right at him.

Murphy: Meaning the minivan.

Bovino: Yes.

Murphy: Let me ask you. I interviewed [Minneapolis Police Chief Brian
O'Hara] yesterday, who was very critical of the agent who did the
shooting for having a cellphone and videotaping the events as he was
working the actual case. Is that common for ICE agents to videotape as
they are working?

Bovino: Well, absolutely, videotaping is very important. As you know, prosecutions, or when you have an individual that is not adhering to
commands, definitely you want that on video, because that video tells a
story. You know, it's very interesting. The chief says that he doesn't
approve of that. But yet, whenever we don't have a video, some of these
same individuals say, "Well, gosh, there's not a video of it. That must
not have happened." So let's don't put these agents, these police
officers, in a catch-22. I'm glad that they had a video. They're doing
the very best they can. Armchair quarterbacking a police officer on the
street in a deadly situation like that, that's not something I'm going
to do.

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/border-patrol-greg-bovino-intervie w-ice-end-immigration-crackdown-minneapolis/?intcid=CNR-02-0623
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