Additional Coverage:
- ICE rebuts Ecuador’s incursion claim at Minneapolis consulate, says ‘criminal illegal alien’ remains at large (foxnews.com)
Diplomatic Spat Erupts After ICE Agents Pursue Suspect Into Ecuadorian Consulate
Minneapolis, MN – A tense confrontation unfolded this week at the Ecuadorian Consulate in Minneapolis, sparking a diplomatic dust-up between the U.S. and Ecuador. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are pushing back against claims of an “attempted incursion” by an agent, asserting their officers were simply in pursuit of a “criminal illegal alien” who sought refuge within the consulate’s walls.
The incident, which was captured on video, occurred Tuesday when ICE agents were targeting Jorge Miguel Bravo Uriles, an Ecuadorian national with a 2022 conviction for driving while intoxicated and prior arrests for sexual assault and assault. According to an ICE spokesperson, Bravo Uriles fled into an unmarked building, which was later identified as the Ecuadorian Consulate, and remains at large.
ICE maintains that its officers never entered the consulate building. “When ICE officers approached Bravo Urgiles and identified themselves as law enforcement, the criminal illegal alien fled into a nearby building,” an ICE spokesperson stated.
“Unknown to the ICE officers at the time, the building housed the Consulate of Ecuador, however, the building was not clearly marked as the Ecuadorian Consulate. At no time did the ICE officers enter the Consulate.”
The agency further accused consulate staffers of effectively “shielding a public safety threat.”
However, Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a different take. They swiftly submitted a “note of protest” to the U.S. government following what they described as an “attempted incursion.”
In a post on X, the ministry stated that consular officials “immediately prevented the ICE officer from entering the consular headquarters, thereby guaranteeing the protection of the Ecuadorians who were at the consular headquarters at that time.” They emphasized that such actions would not be tolerated and called for assurances that similar incidents would not recur.
A witness corroborated parts of the account, telling Reuters, “I saw the officers going after two people in the street, and then those people went into the consulate, and the officers tried to go in after them.” Video footage from inside the consulate purportedly shows a man saying, “This is the consulate of Ecuador, you are not allowed to enter,” as an agent is heard responding, “Relax, I did not enter. . . . If you touch me, I will grab you,” before the door is closed.
The incident has drawn criticism from some U.S. lawmakers. Rep.
Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., condemned the alleged attempt, calling it “yet another outrageous and unacceptable disregard for the rule of law by the Trump Administration’s Department of Homeland Security.” He stressed the importance of protecting diplomatic facilities and warned against setting a “profoundly dangerous precedent” that could endanger American diplomats abroad.
The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department have yet to provide official comments on the matter. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Jorge Miguel Bravo Uriles remain unknown.