Germany Tuesday issued a travel alert for its nationals in the US, urging them to exercise caution amid the ongoing ICE crackdown in Minneapolis which led to the death of US citizen Alex Preeti, the second shooting after Renee Good was shot dead earlier this month. Both Good and Alex were American citizens. “In Minneapolis and other cities, demonstrations have sometimes led to violent clashes with immigration and security authorities. Stay informed via local media. Be vigilant and stay away from crowds where violence could potentially break out,” the foreign ministry said on its website. “Remain calm and follow the instructions of the authorities and local security forces,” it added.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Monday expressed concern over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minnesota. “I find the news we’ve been getting from the USA in the last few days indeed worrying. And it’s obviously always one region or one city that is affected,” Merz said in Hamburg.“I assume that the American authorities will now really clarify whether it was necessary to shoot here, whether there really was a threat to the officers involved. In any case, I have to say I find this level of use of violence in the USA worrying, to put it that way,” he added.
‘Not a political statement’
According to journalist Olga Nesterova, this is an official security notice for German citizens in the US, and not a political statement. The update follows recent incident in which reporters from Italy’s state broadcaster RAI reported being threatened by ICE while workingGermany already has a travel advisory in place for the severe winter storm hitting the U.S. but on Tuesday added a warning regarding the protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown. Last March, Germany updated its travel advisory for the U.S. to emphasize that a visa or waiver allowing entry does not guarantee citizens to enter the U.S. after several of its citizens were detained at the border.
Italian journalists threatened by ICE
The car of two Italian correspondents — Laura Cappon and Daniele Babbo — was surrounded by ICE agents in Minneapolis when they were reporting for their television program. “I’m not doing anything wrong, I’m just driving around my community”, the driver said, before an ICE agent warned, “We are going to break out your window and extract you from the vehicle”.