ICE agents allegedly chased two people into a foreign consulate and tried to follow them inside, now Ecuador is demanding answers

Ecuador has officially protested after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent tried to force their way into the country’s consulate in Minneapolis on Tuesday. The Ecuadorean Foreign Ministry quickly sent an angry “note of protest” to the U.S. Embassy in Quito, the nation’s capital, demanding that such unauthorized incidents “not be repeated.”

According to Reuters, consulate staff acted quickly and prevented the ICE agent from entering the building. This is a serious matter because diplomatic buildings, including consulates and embassies, are considered the sovereign territory of the nation they represent. International treaties give these buildings diplomatic immunity, meaning agents from the host government cannot enter without permission.

The Foreign Ministry’s statement called the event an “attempted incursion into the Ecuadorean Consulate in Minneapolis by ICE agents.” The ministry confirmed that the quick actions of their staff protected Ecuadorean nationals who were inside the building during the attempted entry.

ICE agents pursued individuals into the consulate during ongoing immigration crackdown

While the Foreign Ministry didn’t share many specific details, people working in retail shops near the consulate saw what happened. One woman, who asked not to be named because she feared punishment from the federal government, described a tense chase.

“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,” she explained. She added that the agents “weren’t able to enter the consulate, from what I could see.”

The incident happened during a large immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. President Trump ordered the deployment of about 3,000 heavily armed agents from ICE and the U.S. Border Patrol several weeks ago to conduct this mass deportation drive, which they’ve called “Operation Metro Surge.” The aggressive ICE operations in major cities have sparked intense debate nationwide.

The situation in Minneapolis has been very tense. The operation has already led to tragic results, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens on the city streets, which sparked weeks of protests locally and across the country. Critics have condemned protesters who disrupted sanctuary spaces during immigration enforcement activities.

President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, was meeting with the Mayor of Minneapolis and the Governor of Minnesota on Tuesday. They are trying to calm the growing crisis, but an incident like this attempted consulate breach doesn’t help ease tensions. 

Neither the State Department nor the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees both ICE and the Border Patrol, has commented on the situation yet. Ecuador is making it clear that this action crossed a line, and they expect the U.S. government to make sure it never happens again.