ICE crosses another line

In Minneapolis, officers of the US immigration agency ICE attempted to enter the Ecuadorian consulate without permission. Not covertly, not by mistake, but in broad daylight, at a door clearly marked as a diplomatic mission. A place with a clearly defined protected status was treated like any ordinary administrative building. A consulate employee ran to the door, stood in front of the officers, and made it unmistakably clear that they were not permitted to enter. That was not a political statement, but the application of existing law. The response from an ICE officer was not acknowledgment, but a threat. He announced that he would seize the employee should he touch him. Only after that did the officers withdraw.

That did not end the incident, but escalated it. Ecuador’s foreign ministry lodged a formal protest. An attempt to enter a consulate without consent is considered a serious violation of international rules. Diplomatic premises are not a gray area, they are clearly protected. Anyone who encroaches on them calls into question not only personnel, but state relations. That this happened in Minneapolis is telling. For weeks, the city has experienced an expansion of federal interventions, a shift in what authorities apparently feel entitled to do. Stepping up to the door of a consulate marks a new level. This was no longer about enforcement, but about a demonstration of power.

Ecuador’s foreign ministry confirms that on the morning of January 27, 2026, an officer of the US immigration agency ICE attempted to enter the Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis without permission. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. Consulate staff immediately prevented entry, thereby ensuring the protection of the Ecuadorian nationals present. At the same time, the foreign ministry’s established emergency protocols were activated.

In response to the incident, Ecuador’s foreign minister immediately filed a formal protest note with the US Embassy. The goal is to ensure that such an attempt to enter Ecuadorian consulates in the United States does not happen again.

The door remained closed. But the incident shows how fragile legal boundaries have become when they stand in the way. What remains is diplomatic damage - and the realization that even clearly protected places are no longer automatically respected.