Jochen Kopelke, head of the German Police Union (GdP), considers actions like those of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the case of killed demonstrator Alex Pretti impossible in Germany. He attributes this to clear legal frameworks and professional police training. Kopelke stresses that deportations are the responsibility of immigration authorities, not the police.
In Berlin, Jochen Kopelke, chairman of the German Police Union (GdP), has categorically ruled out actions by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) similar to the case of killed nurse Alex Pretti occurring in Germany. Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis while protesting President Donald Trump's tightened immigration policy.
Kopelke told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND): "US operations cannot be transferred to everyday police work in Germany." He emphasized: "Our police work is characterized by clear responsibilities, threat prevention, and criminal prosecution." Furthermore, police laws and assembly regulations prevent the use of service weapons in crowds. "The deportation of foreigners required to leave the country is the task of immigration authorities and not the police," he added.
The GdP chief highlighted rigorous personnel selection and police training as key to the difference: "We hire good police officers and act proportionately in operations, which makes the difference to others." After visits to police stations in the US and Europe, he noted similar challenges: "I experience the same problems in police authorities: The crises of this world are supposed to be solved by police officers, and the responsible authorities shy away. This harms the police and must not be."
Alex Pretti's family is currently seeking answers, while protests against ICE are paralyzing parts of Minnesota. Kopelke's statements underscore the structural differences between US and German policing.
