Cape May Mayor Zachary Mullock (Courtesy of city of Cape May)
Cape May Mayor Zachary Mullock stepped into the national debate over the fatal ICE shootings in Minnesota by calling on the nation “to stand with Minneapolis” and to demand peace and constitutional order.
Mullock expressed his “shock and profound sadness” over the deaths of two Americans shot by ICE agents this month in Minneapolis.
He stated he believes that federal and local law enforcement officers have an extraordinarily difficult job in Minnesota and that “we must honor their commitment to public safety.”
“At the same time, we cannot ignore that in the past two weeks multiple shootings involving federal agents have occurred under circumstances that have ignited public outrage and fear,” he wrote in a social media post Tuesday in his capacity as Cape May mayor.
Debate has raged nationally in political circles and among ordinary Americans following the fatal shootings by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of Americans Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
President Donald Trump’s Republican administration has maintained that the shootings were justified because the ICE agents were being threatened by what they called “domestic terrorists.”
Some lawmakers, most of them Democrats, and other ICE critics believe that both Good and Pretti were victims of overzealous federal agents and are demanding a formal investigation. They have also called for ICE to be abolished.
Mullock, a Democrat, said in his social media post that the deployment of thousands of federal immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis and the fatal shootings “have shaken the fabric of that city – and our nation.”
“As Americans, we feel the aftershocks of this violence and uncertainty in the pits of our stomachs, as we ask ourselves: What if this happened in my community? In my town? In my place of work or worship?” he wrote.
Anti-ICE protesters gather in Minneapolis. (Courtesy of Wiki Commons)Mullock said his words are “a genuine plea for peace and a resolute call to defend our Constitution.”
“We are witnessing a constitutional crisis that strikes at the heart of our democracy: the erosion of states’ rights, the refusal to comply with court orders, the selective enforcement of laws, and the trampling of local authority through fear and force,” he wrote.
“We see First Amendment rights honored for some and denied to others; Second Amendment claims invoked selectively; judicial authority openly challenged; and the separation of powers strained to the breaking point,” he continued.
Citing statements by the police chief of Minneapolis, Mullock noted that the city’s police department arrested hundreds of violent offenders and recovered nearly 900 guns last year without any fatal shootings involving local officers.
Mullock questioned why “numerous people have been shot, two fatally, in the context of federal enforcement operations” by ICE agents.
“I call on mayors and leaders across the United States to stand with Minneapolis, to demand peace, to defend constitutional order, and to reaffirm the democratic principles that define who we are,” he wrote.
Noting the country’s history in resisting tyranny and the abuse of power, he said the Constitution “exists precisely for moments like this – to restrain authority, protect liberty, and preserve justice.”
“As Mayor, I try to serve with love and compassion for my community. As a Christian, I welcome the stranger, the sick, the hungry. Whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for God,” he said, calling for a peaceful approach.
Congressman Jeff Van Drew says ICE agents are operating under immense pressure. (YouTube image)Adding to the debate, South Jersey Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew, a Trump supporter, issued a statement calling for the shootings in Minneapolis to be investigated “fairly, openly and objectively.”
“There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered, and every possibility needs to be looked at. Americans have a right to protest peacefully, and that right must always be respected,” Van Drew said.
Some prominent Republican lawmakers and gun rights advocates were angered by the Trump administration’s characterization of Pretti as being responsible for own death by carrying a gun. Pretti was lawfully possessing a handgun when he was shot by ICE during a protest in Minneapolis, authorities said.
Van Drew said in his statement that Americans have a fundamental Second Amendment right to bear arms, and that he will “always stand by and defend that.”
“At the same time, protests cannot impede law enforcement from doing their job. When law enforcement is blocked or interfered with, it puts everyone at greater risk,” he said.
Van Drew said he wants state and federal law enforcement agencies to work together to carry out their operations, arrest criminal targets “and move on safely without unnecessary escalation or conflict.”
“ICE agents are operating under immense pressure, working hard to make our streets a safer place. There is a balance that must be maintained, and it requires mutual respect: respect for life, respect for the rule of law, and respect for the rights of the public. Lowering the temperature and focusing on the facts is the way forward," Van Drew said.
