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Ecuador condemns US immigration agent's consulate entry attempt
Ecuador's government has formally protested after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer tried to enter its consulate in Minneapolis without permission, calling the move a violation of international law.
Incident details
The confrontation occurred at 11:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Tuesday when the ICE agent arrived at the consulate's entrance. Ecuadorean consular staff blocked the agent, citing the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which declares consular premises inviolable unless the host country's authorities have explicit consent.
Ecuador's foreign ministry stated that no such consent was given. The convention permits entry only in emergencies, such as fires or disasters, which officials said did not apply in this case.
Video footage emerges
Footage circulated by Ecuadorean media-though not independently verified-shows a consular official rushing to the door and telling the agent, "This is the consulate, you're not allowed in here." The agent responds, "If you touch me, I will grab you." The official repeats that entry is prohibited before closing the door.
Diplomatic fallout
Ecuador's government delivered an official protest letter to the U.S. Embassy in Quito shortly after the incident. The move marks a rare public disagreement between Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa and the Trump administration, despite their recent efforts to strengthen economic and security ties.
Noboa had previously praised Trump for designating two Ecuadorean gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. However, the consulate incident adds to growing tensions over U.S. immigration enforcement, particularly in Minneapolis.
Broader context
The standoff comes amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration agents' actions in Minnesota. On January 24, border agents fatally shot intensive care nurse Alex Pretti during protests against the Trump administration's immigration policies. Another shooting weeks earlier, involving a woman named Renee Good, has also sparked demonstrations.
President Trump announced on Tuesday that he would "de-escalate" immigration operations "a little bit" in Minnesota, where 3,000 agents are currently deployed. Border security and stricter immigration enforcement remain top priorities for his administration.
According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, more than 675,000 undocumented immigrants have been removed from the U.S. since Trump began his second term a year ago.
