Military-grade sonic weapon deployed against anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis

United States (U.S.) Border Patrol officers recently deployed a military-grade sonic weapon, used in wars, against the anti-ICE protesters that has raised alarms across the nation.

Amid the growing unrest in Minnesota over the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, security officials threatened protestors to use a long-range acoustic device (LRAD) in a bid to disperse them.

The weapon, originally developed for military and crowd control purposes, possesses the capability to produce sounds at extreme volumes.

A Marine Colonel, who serves as an adviser to the Center for Strategy and International Studies, Mark Cancian, said: “We used the same weapon in Iraq,” adding that when heard from a safe distance, it sounds like the voice of God speaking to you.

Experts have warned that close exposure to the device can severely damage the hearing ability, even causing permanent loss of hearing, ruptured eardrums, migraines, nausea, panic responses and constant ringing in the ears.

Although multiple social media users claimed that the weapon was used, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarified that they only checked the volumes and didn’t actually use the sirens or tones.

The protests come amid public outrage following the second fatal shooting in months, involving ICE agents. 

Previously, a woman identified as Renee Nicole Good was shot by a federal agent while she was in her car and recently, a male nurse Alex Pretti was shot dead by federal agents.